The Body
by SLynn
Summary: Grissom and Greg make an unexpected journey across the Nevada desert. We'll call this a bonding piece which is in no way related to anything else I've written. COMPLETE!
1. Day One

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes: **Just an idea I came up with driving across the country. Takes place current season and is no way related to any other fan fic I've written. Oh and by the way, I had no idea I'd be writing not two, but three stories at once (I really have been ignoring the heck out of my Firefly fic) but this one shouldn't be too long. Hope you enjoy -- can't wait to hear from you!

**Day One**

"We're lost aren't we?"

Grissom ignored him and kept on following the trail.

"Griss," Greg said following him through the bushes, "talk to me. I'm going crazy here."

Grissom still ignored him. Greg had talked non stop for over half an hour now and it was getting harder to do. But there was no denying it any more, they were lost.

It had all started out with Grissom getting a call around noon from Ecklie that graveyard would have to take another case. A body had been found in the desert. Grissom had called up Greg, knowing he needed the experience fresh off of his final proficiency and they'd gone out together to the scene.

Greg hadn't complained despite looking very much like he'd just gotten to sleep when Grissom had picked him up. The drive to the scene had taken an hour. The victim had already been pronounced and there was very little for them to do at first. They'd probably both be home now if Greg hadn't spotted something in the distance.

The victim, a single white man in his twenties, had been stabbed. Off in the distance, something just caught the midday light and reflected it back. Greg pointed it out to Grissom and they'd both gone to investigate. It wasn't a knife, but after walking over three hills to find it and then wandering around to find what had caught the sun, they both got disorientated. They'd started down the trail they thought they'd first taken but it wasn't.

"Shouldn't we be staying still? I know I saw that on the Discovery channel. We should just stop now…"

"Greg," Grissom finally said coming to a halt and turning round, "there's a trail here. We're going to keep following it because it's here for a reason. Someone made this trail for a reason. It has to lead somewhere."

"Okay, you're the boss but really it could be like anything. It could have gone unused for the last fifty years for all we know."

Grissom said no more and for awhile neither did Greg. It was hot and he was tired. Greg had the night off last night and had taken the opportunity to go out. He'd probably drank a little more then he should have, but he also hadn't expected to be walking around aimlessly in the desert all afternoon. He needed to rest but wasn't about to ask Grissom to stop now. He was obviously on a mission for some reason or other.

"What have you got in your case?" Grissom asked suddenly stopping and turning back to him again. Only Greg had brought his case and his sidearm.

"Standard stuff," Greg said putting it down and opening up to show him.

"Snickers bar is standard?"

"For me it is."

Grissom smiled a bit as he squatted down to take a look. He was well organized. It looked like he'd taken every bit of advice given to him in regards to what to carry. Everything was there, well stocked, plus a couple of snacks and a couple of bottles of water.

"So," Greg said sitting down and taking the chance to take off his windbreaker, "now what?"

"Right now, we rest. We keep following this trail for another mile and then, if nothing, we turn back."

Greg nodded and sat down, pulling off his jacket as he did.

"Wish I'd brought some sunscreen," Greg muttered under his breath. He burned pretty easily and today the sun was pretty fierce.

"Keep covered."

Greg shot him a look of disbelief. It was still early spring but still hot as the devil. Greg was amazed Grissom didn't seem bothered at all. He shrugged it off and took out his phone for what felt like the hundredth time. Checking it out he still had zero reception. Damn technology.

Grissom had expected Greg to begin talking again but he wasn't. Instead he watched in mild fascination as Greg pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket and a pen from his case and began to jot something down. After a few minutes of silence, curiosity got the best of him.

"What is that?" he asked.

Greg looked up at him and closed up what he was doing.

"Nothing."

Grissom gave him a look, one he knew Greg couldn't not answer.

"Okay," Greg relented, "I have this list. It's kind of stupid, but I've been doing it since college. I write down all the things I want to do in my life and when I do one, I cross it off and think up something else."

"So getting lost in the desert is on that list?" Grissom asked incredulously.

"No, but spending the night out in the desert is so I was just thinking of what I'd do next."

"It's not night time yet Greg," Grissom said shaking his head, "We could be out of here before the sun even sets."

"Well," Greg said shrugging, "let's just say I've got a feeling."

Grissom smiled at him. He really believed they wouldn't be there that long. Certainly not overnight.

"So how long is the list?" he asked.

"Ten things. You want to see it?"

Grissom hesitated for a moment. It seemed personal, but then again Greg had offered it to him. He was even holding it out before him now. Reluctantly he took it and the first thing on the list made him laugh.

"So no luck with 'achieving world peace'?"

"Not yet," Greg said with a smirk, "but I'm still young."

Grissom flipped through it. It was all neatly written. Everything was mostly crossed off until he got towards the end. Some of it was pretty amusing, some a little more serious.

"So you've done all these things?" Grissom asked, still looking through it.

"Everything lined out," Greg answered, looking around him and deciding to take Grissom's advice and cover back up.

Grissom stopped on a particular page and looked up at Greg, an odd expression on his face.

"What?" Greg asked.

"When did you kiss Sara?" he asked in return.

Greg actually blushed.

"Okay, that one's kind of a gimme. I didn't actually kiss her. She kissed me. I really shouldn't have crossed it off, but I figured that's as close as I'm ever going to get."

"When did Sara kiss you?" Grissom asked once more, still not believing it.

"New Year's Eve. It really wasn't anything big, she probably felt sorry for me."

"So this just happened?"

"No," Greg answered, "a few years back. We always work the holidays together, that one was a little worse then usual."

Grissom could tell Greg was trying to brush it off, but not succeeding.

"You do work a lot on the holidays," Grissom said as if he'd just noticed. In fact, every holiday he could remember, even before graveyard shift was split, had been him, Sara and Greg.

"Well," Greg said standing up and taking back the offered notebook, "I don't really have anywhere else to be."

Grissom stood as well, ready to get moving again. He knew Greg wasn't originally from Vegas but the more he thought about it something else dawned on him.

"When's the last time you took vacation?" he asked, as he started walking back down the trail at a slower pace now.

"Don't tell me I'm getting charged vacation time for this?" Greg asked in return. Grissom had a feeling he was deflecting the real issue.

"Seriously Greg."

"When did you?"

Grissom was stuck. He couldn't exactly lecture Greg about burn out when he hadn't taken a day off himself in over three years.

"Come on," Greg said after a moment's silence, "you don't remember?"

"I'm supposed to remember your vacations?"

"Well, the last one, yeah."

They were coming up another hill and the stopped at the top. Each took out their cell phones and tried them once more. Still no luck. Scanning the horizon in all directions, there was nothing but dirt and bushes all around.

"What was so special about the last one?" Grissom asked as the started walking again.

"You really don't remember," Greg answered with a laugh, a disbelieving laugh. "About a year ago, I took a week off. I went to Hawaii."

Grissom just shook his head, not recalling any of it. The last time he remembered Greg being out of the lab for any extended amount of time was after the lab explosion.

Greg laughed at his silence, shook his head.

"I broke my arm in three places," he continued, thinking that would trigger something from him but still he remained silent.

"Grissom," Greg said stopping now, not as amused, "I was in a cast for six weeks. Eight if you count the soft cast."

Grissom turned and looked at him. He honestly didn't remember it.

"I still have to do those stupid physical therapy exercises and I have a scar from it."

To prove his point, he pulled up the sleeve on his right arm and sure enough along his forearm was an easily identifiable mark. Grissom was still quiet. Looked at him like he might be from another planet.

"Okay," Greg said starting to walk again, head down now some, "you might remember it as the time I dropped the blood work for the Rodriguez case."

"You had a cast on then?" Grissom asked, stopping now himself as he remembered.

He definitely remembered that. It was the only sample they'd had and Greg had nearly wrecked it. In the end he managed to salvage some but not after a major dressing down from both him and Ecklie.

"Why didn't you say something?" Grissom asked after they'd walked another fifteen minutes in silence.

"About what?" Greg asked in return. "Cast or not it was my fault."

They continued on for another hour in silence. It was much later in the day then Grissom had thought and his original plan of turning back after another mile was forgotten.

"Let's stop here for the night."

Greg said nothing, just dropped the case and sat on it for a moment. He was exhausted, physically and a bit emotionally.

"Should we try and start a fire?" Greg asked, not sure if they could. He knew he couldn't. It was still on his list.

"Gather some dry wood," Grissom directed, "just don't go too far."

"What? Worried I'll get lost?" Greg said with a smirk.

Grissom just returned one, glad that whatever funk had passed over him had lifted some. After another ten minutes of gathering and stacking acceptable tinder, Greg sat down and looked up at him.

"And now what? We wait for lightning?"

"No," Grissom said as he pulled out a lighter. "We use this."

"Remind me to put one of those in my case from now on."

The fire, once started, was nice. Despite the heat of the day, desert nights were cold. Greg felt his stomach rumble and thought briefly about the candy bars he had stashed in his case.

"What do you think," he said opening it up, "do we eat now or wait?"

"How many do you have again?" Grissom asked, actually more concerned about water now then food.

"Three candy bars and two bottles of water. Want to at least split one?"

Grissom nodded and Greg didn't waste any time complying.

"What about the water?" Greg asked, tossing him half of the Snickers bar.

"We'll have some after we eat that, but not a lot. If we are out here for too long, we don't want to be without any."

Greg nodded in understanding and Grissom couldn't remember seeing him look more tired.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" he asked. "We'll take turns; I'll wake you in a few hours."

"Are you sure?" Greg asked, not unwilling to accept.

Grissom just nodded and Greg did his best to get comfortable.

"Oh," Greg said sitting back up and un-holstering his gun, "you should probably take this for now. Just in case."

Grissom nodded and also dug the flashlight out of Greg's case. Greg smiled once and turned on his side so that he was facing away from Grissom and the fire.

It wasn't long before he heard Greg snoring softly, sound asleep and Grissom relaxed some himself. In his head he recounted all the mistakes of the day. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all, but he was still confident. Tomorrow they'd either find their way out or be found. He was certain of it.


	2. Day Two

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes: **Wow – had no idea this fic would generate such a response. I'd love to say it's going to be all happy fun stuff bonding, but I don't write happy fun stuff anything very well. There will be angst. Oh yes, there will be angst. After all, they are lost in a desert. Enjoy!

**Day Two**

"Greg," Grissom said giving him a light shake.

He'd been trying to wake him for over five minutes, he just wasn't budging.

"Greg," he said much louder now.

It was after one in the morning and Grissom needed some sleep. He'd let Greg sleep a little longer then he'd intended but only because he'd looked so tired.

"No," Greg mumbled, "no more peas."

"What?"

"What?" Greg echoed, sitting up finally and rubbing his eyes.

"Did you just say 'no more peas'?"

Greg looked at him like he was insane so Grissom just shrugged it off.

"It's your turn," Grissom said handing him the flashlight and gun.

Greg stood up and yawned and stretched, holstering the weapon and putting the flashlight on the ground. He didn't need the flashlight, the fire was still burning bright, and he hoped he'd never need the gun. Grissom laid down now and shut his eyes and Greg dug through his case till he found his iPod. He never knew what had possessed him to put it in there in the first place but now he was glad. The desert was too quiet. The night was too quiet and Greg had an extreme distrust of quiet things. But still, since he was supposed to be a lookout of sorts, he only put in one ear piece and turned the volume down as he listened. It helped pass the time nicely.

Just as the sun started to rise, Grissom began to stir.

"Morning," Greg said, sounding cheerful despite feeling starved and sore from sleeping on the hard, cold ground.

Grissom returned it in much the same manner. He looked like he felt the same as Greg did about all of this. The sooner they got moving the better.

"So," Greg asked after a reasonable time, "back or forth?"

"Forward," Grissom said resolutely. "Always forward."

Greg nodded, afraid he'd say that.

For the first hour, as the sun was still relatively low in the sky, it wasn't bad. It was nice weather even, but it looked like it was going to get hot. Really hot. Greg knew he'd already gotten a pretty decent sunburn from yesterday on his cheeks and neck. Today was only going to add to it.

Grissom still felt optimistic. The trail was more distinct now, despite having admittedly driven them deeper into the desert. There were heading somewhere, he could feel it.

"So," Greg said, tired of silence, "What do you do in your spare time? Besides the bug thing, that is."

Grissom hazarded a look back at him, amused. He'd wondered how long it would take for Greg to start asking questions again.

"I read."

"Reading is good. I read too. What do you read?"

"Mostly the classics."

"Doesn't that get old?" Greg asked, seriously, "I mean, haven't you run out by now? There're only so many classics out there. Don't you read anything modern?"

"Define modern."

Greg nodded, taking off his windbreaker despite the fear of third degree burns. Grissom was doing the same.

"I don't know, something not written before the turn of the last century."

"Fitzgerald," Grissom said firmly.

"Okay, the just barely qualifies, but it's so depressing. 'The Great Gatsby' is overrated."

Grissom suppressed a grin. He hadn't figured Greg for a reader and it was a bit surprising to learn otherwise.

"Okay," Grissom tried again, "Atwood."

"Sara huh?" Greg asked with a chuckle.

"How did you know that?" Grissom asked turning around and stopping momentarily.

"She had me read a couple too. Weird stuff. I'll give her that 'The Handmaid's Tale' was interesting, but the last one, 'Oryx and Crake' was just out there."

"I didn't read that one."

"You should. It's about scientists."

"Really?" Grissom asked, sounding interested.

"Yeah," Greg answered, his voice full of sarcasm, "Basically we're the downfall of all moral society. Something like that. Real uplifting."

Grissom did laugh this time and they decided to take their first break. The each had some water but skipped the food. It was almost too hot to eat.

"So you and Sara," Grissom said after a minute or two, "you talk a lot."

"Well, considering we work almost every case together, wouldn't it be weird if we didn't?"

Grissom shrugged, conceding without really seeing his point. He'd worked lots of cases with lots of people without really talking.

"I'm naturally talkative," Greg added, "I know it's annoying, I can't help it. I don't think I have a very good internal sensor to tell me when to stop. What's worse, the more nervous or stressed I get, the more I do it."

"So which is it now, nerves or stress?"

Greg laughed.

"Both I think. I like the outdoors Griss, but not this much."

Grissom said nothing to this so Greg just kept talking.

"It's not that I don't trust you. I do. I'm just, this is kind of scary. I don't know what to do with all this space. You know, I was kind of claustrophobic in the lab, but I feel agoraphobic here. Maybe it's because I grew up in the city."

"Las Vegas is a city."

"We're not exactly in Vegas right now," Greg said with a grin. "and there is no city other then New York City. It is the city."

Grissom nodded, standing to get going again. They were approaching another hill. It looked big enough to give them a good look around their surroundings, but it was going to be a hard, slow climb to the top.

Neither spoke until they'd reached it, just sat down and took another sip of water. They'd gone through a little over half of the first bottle.

"How far do you think we've walked?" Greg asked, looking down the path they'd came up and around their surroundings.

They'd both hoped to see a road or something other then the desert that had been all around, but without luck.

"Average is about two miles an hour, four hours yesterday and another six today so far."

"There's no way we've walked twenty miles," Greg said shaking his head.

"Probably closer to fifteen."

Greg still wasn't sure he believed it, although his body tended to disagree. It was close to noon now. Out of habit he tried his cell phone. Still nothing so instead of just pocketing it this time, he turned it off. Time to save the battery. They both decided to rest there for the time being, at least until the sun was no longer directly overhead.

"So," Grissom said, trying his hand at conversation, "why Vegas? If you liked New York so much, why not go to work there?"

"You mean besides the fact that they didn't hire me?" Greg asked back slyly.

"So you did apply?"

Greg shook his head.

"I don't know," he admitted. "probably the same reason I didn't go to college in New York. Just needed a change."

Grissom thought there was more to it then that, but for once Greg didn't seem to want to talk. Several minutes of uncomfortable silence followed.

"I don't get along with my mother or my stepfather very well."

Grissom looked a bit taken back.

"Hence the working holidays."

"Told you," Greg said, still managing a smile although it wasn't the same one he'd worn before, "I don't have anywhere else to go."

After more awkward silence, they decided where to go next. The trail they were on was leading further into the foothills and Greg was still reluctant. Grissom, still felt they were on to something, strongly insisted they keep at it. Use to following, Greg relented.

After an hour or more of complete silence, Grissom felt he had to say something.

"Any guess as to where we're at?" he asked, trying for lighthearted.

"Arizona?"

"Seriously."

"I was being serious."

Grissom laughed, Greg's sense of humor seemed to be returning.

"We're too far from the state line."

Greg nodded but thought that there was always tomorrow.

"So, where do you think we're at?" Greg asked now.

"Foothills," Grissom said cryptically.

Greg laughed dryly. That he knew.

"Looks like rain," Greg said stopping and really looking up at the sky.

As the afternoon had progressed, it had gotten darker.

"I don't think we're going to have a fire tonight," he continued.

"We should probably look for shelter," Grissom agreed.

Greg thought he was being a tad optimistic. There weren't exactly a lot of trees in the Nevada desert. Joshua trees yes, but they did little to provide any kind of real shelter.

"Here," Grissom said, coming across a nearby hill with a rather convenient rock overhang. "This should do."

Just as he got the words out of his mouth it started to drizzle.

"It'll have too," Greg said, sitting down and putting the case between them.

The drizzle became rain and the rain became downpour. They both got wet, but not nearly as wet as they would have without the overhang. The noise was unbearable, but that wasn't the worse part. As the night progressed there was lightning. Lots and lots of thunder and lightning. Greg couldn't hear himself think, let alone anything Grissom might be saying to him. Not that Grissom was saying anything, he was too busy thinking.

This was a mess. He didn't know yet himself what was driving him down this trail, but he felt he had to go. Not one to typically play hunches, this one wouldn't leave him alone. It was gnawing at him, alive even. It was as if they'd purposely been set this way, not that he believed in things like that. Maybe he'd ask Greg. Greg seemed like the type of guy who would. Sara would laugh at the notion; Warrick would be pragmatic about it. Catherine and Nick, they'd go for it. They'd be all in. It was startling to learn he didn't quite yet know where Greg would stand. What he'd say about hunches and feelings, the intangible over the tangible.

The rest of the night was spent in a rain enforced hush. Just after midnight, Grissom checked his watch and then looked over to Greg. He had an arm propped up on the case and his head leaned into his hand, sleeping and still. Grissom couldn't help but think how young he looked. He knew he was getting close to thirty, but he still looked so young.

Grissom relented and decided to sleep himself, once more certain that tomorrow would be better.


	3. Day Three

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes:** Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed… or even just read. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and equally elated that angst is generally agreeable to all. :)

Thanks – Duckie, BeyondMyStar, GottaGetGreg, Teenwitch, Sheela, Dee, Storyspindler, white rose01, Jen, Sillie, ikickdurdog, sunnygirl91, Em, lins, Meia, Fwe, life sucks, get used to it, RiverRunsDeep, and BabyAlyx96.

**Day Three**

Grissom woke up the next morning almost unable to move from having slept in a sitting position. The sun was completely up now, although still overcast. It had to be after eight. Stretching his arms, he turned to Greg to see how he fared only to find the spot he'd occupied empty.

"Greg?" he called out, unable to see him anywhere in the immediate vicinity.

Standing now, getting worried, he stepped out from under the overhang and searched left and right.

"Greg?" he yelled this time, cupping his hands to help propel his voice.

"Grissom," he heard in return, loud and close and coming from behind him.

Grissom immediately turned to the sound of his voice and found Greg up on top of the large hill they'd used for shelter, about twenty feet or so above the ground. Greg was wearing a grin as he looked down at him.

"How did you get up there?"

"I climbed," Greg answered, "thought I'd let you sleep in. Maybe get a better look around. Try my phone."

"Anything?"

"Yeah," Greg said pointing further down the path they were headed. "I think there's an access road, dirt but it looks used. It's quite a ways down there, but we can make it. It'll be steep."

"Good," Grissom said, looking down the path from where he stood and seeing nothing, "now get down here. Carefully. The rocks are wet."

"Don't I know it," Greg mumbled, as he very slowly made his way back down.

Grissom watched his progress and it was obvious he'd done this before. He jumped the last six feet and landed easily.

"Three places huh?" Grissom asked, "I'm surprised it wasn't more."

Greg let out a laugh that turned into a small fit of coughs.

"Take some more water," Grissom offered going to the case to get it.

"No, I'm fine," Greg waved him off, "It's probably all this dirt."

"Allergies?"

"Not yet," Greg said, sounding better.

"It's going to rain again," Grissom observed as Greg nodded in agreement.

It didn't matter at this point; they were both pretty well soaked through. They both sat down and split the second candy bar and each had some more water.

"So," Greg started, hefting his case as he went, "what should we talk about today?"

"I don't know," Grissom said, still leading. The path was rougher now, not as clear but still there. They were most decidedly in the foothills, leading further into the hills. Soon they might even be mountains. "Tell me why you picked chemistry."

"That's too easy. I love science. Blowing things up. That's like me asking you why the bugs."

Grissom smiled to himself and kept moving.

"Okay, why Berkley? It's a good school but I pictured you going somewhere more academic."

"Did you just call me smart?" Greg asked and without turning around Grissom knew what his smile looked like. "Wow, I'm touched. And bonus, I get to cross something else off my list now."

"How is that on your list? I didn't see my name anywhere in there."

"Well, that's because I added it this morning. Remember, I got to cross off 'night in the desert' and I added 'get Grissom to say something nice about me'. Two in under two days, I think that's a personal best."

"It's not like I've never said anything nice to you before Greg."

Greg stayed quiet.

"I have, haven't I?" Grissom stopped and turned to him, concerned even.

"You're not big on the compliments," Greg said, still smiling, "It's not like I mind. I don't need constant praise, attention yes, praise not so much."

Grissom turned back around and started walking again. Both remained quiet for some time after that.

"So I ask again," Grissom said after they'd navigated their way down a rather steeper slope then expected, "why Berkley?"

"Well," Greg said as he slid the last few feet, "my father actually. He lives in San Francisco."

Grissom nodded, that he understood.

"Are you close?" Grissom asked, remembering the things he'd said yesterday about his mother and stepfather.

He'd never really heard Greg say anything about his family, but then again, he'd never really asked.

"We've never met."

For the second time Grissom stopped and turned around to him.

"Okay, that's not entirely true. My parents split up when I was about two, so we met then, I just don't remember it."

"I didn't realize your parents divorced when you were so young."

"Divorce," Greg said with some sarcasm, "no. They were never married. I mean, I still got stuck with the last name, but that's not… let's… let's talk about something else. Music? No, that won't work. I know we don't have anything in common in that department. We did books so I guess that leaves movies, right?"

Grissom continued walking and Greg was relieved. He didn't want to talk about that. Can't believe he'd already said so much, but he really couldn't help it. Greg got talking sometimes and really couldn't stop.

"I don't watch a lot of movies," Grissom admitted after thinking it over. He wasn't going to force Greg into a confidence.

"Well, what's the last one you've seen?" Greg asked as they approached a creek.

"I'm not even sure, Silence of the Lambs maybe."

"You're kidding me, that's got to be ten to fifteen years old easy. That's really the last move you saw?"

"Yes," Grissom said coming to a sudden halt.

The trail had stopped at the edge of the embankment.

"Was that road on the other side of this?" he asked Greg.

"I couldn't tell you. I didn't see the creek from up there, it was hidden by that last hill, but the road was that way."

Greg pointed across the creek for emphasis and Grissom nodded.

"Guess we go across then," Grissom said and this time Greg nodded. "And let's be quick."

It had started to rain again, light but sure to pick up. Rain in the desert wasn't always good. It had a tendency to build up and flush out in unexpected ways, creek beds being the most obvious.

Getting down into the bed wasn't a problem. It hadn't taken but five minutes but climbing out looked more difficult.

"It's almost straight up," Greg commented.

"It's a little better here," Grissom said, looking it over and starting up.

Greg had other problems. Grissom seemed to be doing alright, slow but surely making his way up, but Grissom wasn't carrying a case. He was going to need both hands to get up there, and shifting the weight of it slightly in his hand, he backed away from the wall of the creek and really contemplated it.

"What are you doing?" Grissom asked after reaching the top and seeing Greg still unmoving.

"I'm going to throw it," Greg said.

Grissom looked around, growing concerned. The rain had picked up suddenly. It was falling much harder then before.

"Greg," he called out, "you need to hurry."

"Stand back."

Greg swung the case back as far as he could and really pitched it up. It almost made it, just missed by inches as it fell back down to the floor of the creek bed.

Grissom heard it now. Not just rain but water, rushing water, the sound of rushing water headed their way.

"Greg! Get out of there now!" he yelled, but the he couldn't even see him anymore.

The rain had obscured his vision. He was on point of going back down for him and dragging him out of there when he saw the case land a few feet to his left. Looking down the cliff side he saw Greg struggling to make his way up. It was so wet that he was having a hard time getting a grip on anything. It was practically a solid incline of mud.

He was midway there when Grissom lay down on the ground and extended his arm.

"Grab hold," he called out.

Greg looked up and then they both looked down the creek at the sound that was now much closer. The creek was starting to fill up. Greg, to his credit, didn't panic, just kicked it into a higher gear and tried climbing faster.

It was to his feet when he reached Grissom's hand, but refused it. He just kept climbing. Grissom grabbed hold of his forearm and began to pull him up. Greg finally threw his free arm up over the side and began to push as well, but by now the water was up around his waist and moving fast.

He almost got his right leg out when his hands slipped out from under him slick from the mud. Grissom reacted fast and caught hold of his jacket but Greg slipped right out of it into the water. Greg was out of sight before it had even registered he was gone.

"Greg!" he yelled, frantic now, looking down stream.

He thought he heard a reply, but the noise was almost deafening.

"Grissom!"

That time he did hear it. Running down the side, scanning the waters still, he saw him. Greg had caught himself on a dead tree whose branches and roots hung down into the creek more then a hundred feet from where they'd started.

Greg was almost out now, on his own, but Grissom came over and did his best to help him. He was completely drenched, but not much more then Grissom was himself.

"Are you okay?" he asked him, taking him by the arm and looking him over despite the question.

Greg didn't answer, just doubled over and started coughing. Hard. Otherwise, he didn't look bad. He had some minor cuts and scrapes on his arms and face as far as Grissom could see.

"We've got to get out of here," Grissom said, still yelling to be heard.

Greg nodded but didn't move. He was still coughing, he'd swallowed a lot of water.

"Come on," Grissom said again, pulling on him now.

Grissom had already handed back his jacket to him, which he struggled to get on, and was picking up his case moving as fast as he could towards the hillside. Greg followed slowly. His leg felt like it was on fire. Grissom noticed this as he was half way there and returned to his side.

"What's wrong?" he asked using his free arm to provide Greg some additional support.

"I don't know," Greg replied, hobbling along.

There was no overhang this time, but this area did have more trees. A few of them, closer together, provided some shelter. Grissom sat down the case and helped Greg to the ground.

"Which is it?" he asked.

Greg pointed to his left leg. Above his knee his pants were ripped. Easy enough to see was a gash across the whole leg that was still bleeding freely.

"Put your hands over it," Grissom instructed, "apply pressure."

Grissom threw open Greg's case and began looking through it. He found what he needed and still turned away from him took a deep breath. He needed to be calm. Greg looked pale, close to panicking, and Grissom couldn't let that happen. He just hoped Greg hadn't hit an artery.

"What are you doing?" Greg asked, coughing again, both hands pressed firmly to his leg.

Grissom had stripped off his jacket and was taking of his shirt.

"I need a bandage," he answered, taking off his t-shirt now.

"Use mine," Greg said starting to move his hands.

"No," Grissom said, stopping him with his tone. "Whatever's in that water is on your shirt. Your leg will get infected."

Greg nodded and watched with mild horror at what Grissom had collected.

"This is going to sting," Grissom admitted as he undid the cap to the rubbing alcohol. "When I tell you to, move your hands."

This time there was no nodding, he just turned his head away. Grissom took that as an understanding and before he actually did it asked if he was ready. Greg took in a big breath and Grissom gave the word.

He knew that it had hurt, but there was no avoiding it. The wound had to be cleaned but Greg hadn't even cried out once. As an extra precaution he'd poured some on to the make shift bandages and the only gauze he'd had on hand as padding. After securing it in place he was worried it wouldn't stay.

"Duct tape," Greg managed through gritted teeth. "Not tight, but once around the outside."

Grissom nodded his head in agreement, it was all they had.

"Discovery channel," Greg said as if clarifying how he'd thought of that.

"How is that?" Grissom asked once he was done.

"I don't know, how's it supposed to feel?"

Grissom smiled tightly at him. He was relieved to see that the bandages hadn't bled through. The gash must not be that deep after all.

Done, he put back on his own shirt and jacket, and sat down beside him.

"Guess we're not going any further today," Greg tried to joke.

"If this rain stops I'll try to start a fire," Grissom said in return, "you need to stay warm and keep that leg dry."

Greg didn't say anything but started coughing again.

"Here," Grissom said handing him the water, "drink some."

"No thanks," Greg returned between coughs, "I think I got enough for today. Swallowed half that river."

"Then get some rest."

Greg nodded and leaned back against the nearest tree trying to forget the pain in his leg and the accompanying one in his head. Grissom watched on as he eventually fell asleep. Greg looked better then he had at first, but not much. He needed a hospital. He needed a hospital now.


	4. Day Four

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Day Four**

The rain had lasted almost through the night. The next morning promised better as far as weather was concerned, but nothing else. Greg had slept fitfully and Grissom had watched unable to do anything more then he already had.

A few hours after the sun was up, Greg was already asking when they'd get started. Grissom thought that was being a bit optimistic on his part. He wanted to stay put, wasn't sure if Greg could make a long walk, or even a short walk at this point, but Greg was persistent.

"We can't stay here," Greg argued. "That creek is full. Any more rain, one more drop, and there's going to be water everywhere. I just want to get to that road and get out of here."

"Stand up," Grissom ordered.

Greg did, slowly. His leg hurt but he could still move it. He could make the walk if they took it slow.

"Give me a minute," Grissom said, lending him a hand as Greg sat back down.

He took ten. Greg, still cold from the night, huddled in his jacket almost shaking. His face felt hot to the touch and he wondered how bad of a burn he'd gotten.

"This should help," Grissom offered upon his return, holding a large stick out to Greg.

Greg let out a small chuckle.

"Now all I have to do is learn how to speak softly, right?"

Grissom laughed too. Greg propelled himself to his feet. The stick was perfect as far as walking sticks went. It took him several yards to get the hang of it, but soon he was moving along well enough. Grissom took possession of the case, realizing only now that Greg had carried it all this time without once asking for help.

They'd walked about half an hour before Greg had to ask for a break. Grissom stopped without hesitation and Greg availed himself of the nearest rock to sit on. He didn't look good. Despite the relative mildness of the morning, Greg was already sweating. What's more, he had his jacket completely zipped up and almost seemed to shiver. Grissom was thinking at best it was heatstroke. At worse, well, there was no use in contemplating that now.

"Drink this," Grissom said handing him the half-bottle of water they'd been sharing from the case.

Greg took a sip and then handed it back.

"All of it," Grissom instructed, refusing to take it.

"Griss," Greg started to say but was immediately cut off.

"All of it Greg."

"Half," he countered.

"Okay, half."

"You first," Greg said, still holding the bottle out.

Grissom gave him a half smile and took it from him. He took a long pull off of it before handing it back. He didn't quite drink half but he'd drunk enough to content Greg, who regardless of previous discretion finished it off. They decided to save the bottle, hoping they'd have the chance somewhere to refill it. After fifteen minutes they took off again down the trail.

"About how far away did that road look?"

"Not this far," Greg said, sounding labored even though they'd just begun walking again.

Grissom couldn't help but be worried now. Greg was growing concerned himself. His chest felt tighter then usual, he was still coughing and he'd had a headache since yesterday afternoon. He was sick and he knew it but there was no stopping now. Their only hope, his only hope, now lay before them.

They stopped once more at the top of another smaller hill that led into a relatively enclosed valley.

"That's it," Greg said, sounding relieved. "That's the road."

He pointed it out without needing too to Grissom. Greg was grinning at the sight even though it wasn't much. Just a dirt path, little better then the one they were on now with a make shift fence running along side it.

"If I could run right now I would." Greg said still feeling overjoyed.

Grissom wasn't as happy with the new prospect. True that the path they were on led straight too it, but it really didn't look used.

They reached it in another fifteen minutes and took another break.

"Which way should we go?" Greg asked, looking it up and down.

There was nothing in either direction but the path they'd been taking led North along side the road, further into the hills.

"That way," Grissom said following the same route.

Greg nodded and fought down a coughing fit.

"You've been quiet today," Grissom observed.

"Conserving energy," Greg returned, but with a smile. "Where do you think this leads?"

"Probably a house. Lots of small ranch homes around here."

Greg nodded in agreement. The rain hadn't returned and didn't look like it would. It was partly cloudy and growing hotter by the moment. Greg still felt cold.

"Do you hear that?" Grissom asked suddenly standing up and looking around him.

Greg had started to say no but then he knew what Grissom meant.

"That sounds like…" Greg began.

"A helicopter," Grissom finished just as it came into view.

It was off in the distant, too far away to see them but it didn't stop either of them from standing up and at least trying to get its attention.

"It's leaving," Greg said unable to keep the panic out of his voice, "Griss, it's leaving. They didn't see us, did they? They're not even looking in the right spot."

The helicopter was turning East, towards where they'd begun, and looked to be circling. If it had seen them, Grissom knew, it would have come closer in acknowledgement.

"Should we go back?" Greg asked, starting to cough again.

"No," Grissom said firmly. "We can't. There's no way you'd make it. We should keep going the way we've been. It's an incline, but you should manage."

Greg hadn't moved, was still looking at the last spot of sky they'd seen the helicopter. Still hoping it would come back.

"Greg," he said gently pulling on his arm. "We should get moving."

Greg nodded but hesitated before actually going. They walked another half hour before stopping under a tree that offered plenty of shade. Greg started rummaging through his pockets, ready to try his phone again only to discover it missing. It wasn't the only thing gone.

"Damn it," Greg muttered, rubbing his head, frustrated.

Grissom looked at him oddly. He'd never heard Greg curse before, at least not around him.

"Sorry," he said as he caught his eye.

Grissom thought he might be blushing, but his cheeks and neck were so burnt there was really no telling.

"I lost my phone, my wallet, everything in that creek," Greg said by way of explanation. "At least I'm guessing it was the creek. I should be glad I didn't loose my shoes or my pants, but man, it even got my notebook."

"With your list?" Grissom asked, sounding concerned even.

"I've had that for ten years," Greg lamented.

"The same notebook?"

"I write small. Plus, most of it was things I knew wouldn't be really easy. I usually only get to cross one off every few months. I average about seven a year. Like I'd said, this week has been big for this list."

Greg had to stop talking, abruptly coughing again. Grissom noticed that he'd begun to rattle even. It, whatever it was, was in Greg's chest.

"Do you need some more water?" he asked.

Greg shook his head, finishing off his latest round of coughs.

"I'm fine."

Grissom tended to disagree. It was about midday now and they decided to wait out the worst of the sun. They each remained silent for some time. Grissom deep in thought, Greg too tired to speak.

"Oh man," Greg muttered putting his head into his hands, "Chloe."

"Who's Chloe?"

"Only the love of my life."

Grissom smiled at the way he'd said it. It was youthful and heartfelt all at once.

"What's she like?" he asked.

He'd never heard Greg talk about having a girlfriend. He'd never talked about any women, at least not in a serious way, but he imagined that Greg probably shared that type of information with Nick or Warrick, Sara even. Not him. He was his boss. This wasn't the sort of thing you talked about with your boss. At least not typically.

"She's beautiful," Greg gushed, "She's blond. She's got big brown eyes."

Grissom smiled as Greg did, he had an infectious attitude and right now they both needed the distraction.

"She's got four legs," Greg finished, still smiling but a bit more mischievously.

"Excuse me?"

"Chloe's my dog Griss. Golden lab. I got her when I finally moved out of my apartment and into a real house about a year ago."

Grissom nodded, still smiling.

"I hope someone's checking on her," Greg continued and he really did sound worried.

"I'm sure someone is," Grissom tried his hand at reassuring.

Greg nodded. He figured Nick would. He was good at remembering those types of things. He had no hope in anyone else. Sara couldn't keep a house plant alive and Warrick and Catherine knew as much about Chloe as Grissom had.

"I had you going though, didn't I?" Greg asked, coughing a bit from the laugh that escaped him.

"Yes you did."

They started moving again and this time got much further. Greg seemed a bit stronger or he was hiding it better. They'd walked a full hour before they finally caught sight of something new. Their path, the one they followed since the beginning, had grown more distinct lately and it was easy to see why. They'd finally come across something. A house.

They'd both picked up their pace. They couldn't help it. Fatigue was the only way to fully describe both the states of mind and body. Absolute fatigue. Seeing that house was pure elation, that was until they got closer.

Neither wanted to believe it. It couldn't be possible, but as the closed the gap there was no denying it.

"No one's home," Greg said clearly disappointed.

Grissom looked through the window. It was a two story farmhouse typical for the area. The paint was peeling and the yard was in disarray. There was no car or truck to be seen in the drive. Inside looked worse, it was dirty and there were signs of animals having gotten in.

"I don't think anyone's been home for some time now," Grissom said.

Greg took it in too now. It was deserted, no doubting that. All chances of using the phone and being home that night faded. The place didn't even look like it had power or running water.

"What should we do now, bust a window?" Greg asked.

Deserted or not, filthy or not, being under a roof was better then another night outdoors. Grissom said nothing, just put his hand on the door and pushed gently. It came open easily enough.

"How'd you know it would do that?" Greg asked sounding impressed.

"The age of the house, ravages of time, the rain warping the wood, it all sets the frame off balance allowing easy access."

Greg nodded, taking it in.

"That and I saw it was unlocked when I looked in the window," Grissom said cracking a smile.

"Ah," Greg said matching his smile "and now you've got me. I get it; pay back for the dog story. Are you sure you want to start this game with me? I'm the undisputed champ at the lab."

Grissom gave him one more smile, welcoming the challenge, before heading inside. Greg chuckled and followed right on his heels, but instead of going further into the house Grissom stopped short after a few feet.

"What?" Greg asked seriously.

He knew Grissom wasn't joking now. Something was off.

"Wait here," he instructed as he put down the case he'd been carrying for Greg.

He opened it up and took out a pair of gloves, snapping them on quickly. Greg didn't speak, just watched in mild fascination at what was going on in front of him. The house looked okay to him, okay considering it probably hadn't been lived in for twenty or more years judging by the type of furniture it held. Greg needed to sit, but stayed standing, choosing instead to lean on his makeshift cane until Grissom returned.

Grissom moved quickly out of the living room into the kitchen. Nothing looked wrong so he went on. This, he knew, was why they'd taken the trail. He could feel it now. The house, deserted and unused, held something more then it appeared. It had too. There was something unsettling in the air. From the dining room, to the family room and finally upstairs, Grissom searched the house quickly but efficiently. In the back bedroom, the very last room in the house he had left to look in, he found what he felt he would.

"I'm going to need you to wait outside," Grissom said as he walked down the stairs back towards Greg.

Greg looked at him with disbelief. Outside was bad. Outside was the last place he wanted to be. He really couldn't believe it and waited for him to continue, to fill him in.

"This house is a crime scene."


	5. Night Four

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Usual thanks and such are at the bottom....**

**Night Four**

Greg sat on the porch steps as the sun began to set in the West. Grissom had told him to wait outside, explained they had a crime scene, but that was the last he'd seen of him for hours. Cold, despite the warmness of the day, and completely worn out Greg had dozed off a few times, but never for long. Not long after he began to contemplate going inside and asking if he could help he heard the door open behind him and Grissom emerged from the house.

"Please don't tell me we're sleeping out here tonight," Greg said before Grissom had even fully sat down next to him.

"No," Grissom assured him, "we are not. I've cleared the bottom floor, that's where we'll be staying."

"Good," Greg said feeling relief, "because I don't think I could do it again. Not with a house right here."

Grissom nodded in understanding. He didn't think he could either. Aside from that, it looked like it might rain again soon. The clouds had begun to build over the course of the afternoon and now the sky was threatening once more. Grissom was fairly certain one more night outdoors, exposed to the rain and cold, would do Greg in. He looked half done in now.

"So what happened? What did you find?" Greg asked interested now that he was certain he'd at least have a dry floor to sleep on.

"A body, remains really. There was a completely intact skeleton in the master bedroom."

"How can you tell that it's was a homicide?"

"The skull is crushed. The room has large quantities of dried blood in it as well. Whoever did this didn't even try to cover it up. They left the murder weapon behind. A log from the fireplace."

Greg grimaced at the thought.

"How long do you think it's been here?" he asked.

"Awhile," was all he'd say before ushering Greg inside.

Sitting for too long Greg felt his leg had tightened up and it was harder getting around now then before.

"Sit down," Grissom instructed, pointing to the couch, "I need to check that leg."

Greg managed the journey across the room. As gently as he could, Grissom undid the tape. He'd had to cut it some, carefully avoiding cutting Greg in the process. Expecting the worse, he was glad to see that the cut had sealed itself and didn't appear infected in any way. It was bruised heavily, but didn't appear serious.

"You're in luck," Grissom was saying mostly to distract Greg. Not that Greg was looking anywhere at his leg. He seemed to be looking everywhere but. "I found some bandages in the downstairs bathroom."

Greg said nothing, still looking away. He was gripping the couch so tight his knuckles were white.

"I have to disinfect it," Grissom said, knowing that even though the cut was closed, it was still going to sting. "Ready?"

Greg nodded and took in a breath and held it. This time Grissom didn't count he just did it knowing Greg was ready. Grissom did his best to hurry, re-bandaged the leg and stood when he was done.

Grissom had looked the bottom level of the house over as an excuse to let Greg regroup. There might have been some rudimentary medical supplies, tapes and gauze and the like, but any medicine to be found was extremely outdated. And there was no food, nothing that wasn't as outdated as the medicine or scavenged by rodents. He didn't even try the refrigerator, didn't dare. When he returned to the living he found Greg had started a fire in the fireplace.

"Sorry," Greg said, thinking he'd done something wrong by Grissom's expression, "I was cold."

"No," he returned, shaking his head and coming closer, "Good thinking. There's no power, we'll be out of light soon."

Greg assumed there was no food, but it didn't matter, he wasn't hungry. He sat himself as close as he could to the fire without actually pulling a chair up onto the hearth. Grissom chose the couch.

It had started to rain. Really rain. It was a complete downpour Vegas style. Greg stifled a few coughs and looked around the place nervously.

"Okay," he said after a few minutes more of silence, "this is creepy. How are you not creeped out by this?"

"It's a house Greg."

"It's a house where someone was murdered and it's a dark and stormy night. All we need now is a couple of virgin campers and a demon possessed doll."

Grissom smiled at him but Greg was truly not at ease.

"It really doesn't bother you?"

"You have an overactive imagination."

Greg shrugged, point conceded.

"I think I've got heatstroke," Greg said, a bit more seriously now, "My head is killing me and I'm burnt to a crisp."

"Heatstroke wouldn't cause that cough."

Grissom said it and wished he hadn't. Greg was already sounding paranoid; he didn't need something new to worry about. But Greg just seemed to brush the thought off as if it couldn't be anything serious.

"I've had a cold for the last few weeks," Greg said as if that explained it.

Grissom said nothing more and they both relaxed a bit.

"Did you see that movie the Grudge?" Greg asked after a particularly loud crack of thunder.

"Isn't that one of those Japanese remakes?"

"Yes, but…"

"Greg, I don't think…"

"No," he cut in looking up as he spoke, "because I was just curious if the body was in the closet or not."

"It's a body Greg," Grissom said, unable but to feel amused. "Actually, it isn't even that anymore."

"Stupid Nick," Greg continued, still watching the ceiling as if he thought it might come to life. "You know he called me for like a week straight before shift started making that door cracking noise?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Not that he didn't owe me one," Greg continued, "When we saw the Ring, I kept disconnecting the cable in the break room so that the TV just played static."

Greg laughed at the memory but it quickly turned into a series of strained coughs.

Another loud clap of thunder and Greg's expression changed again.

"I'm not going to get any sleep."

"Would it help if you saw the remains?" Grissom asked.

Grissom thought seeing it might make it more real and less like some Hollywood version of death. Greg almost refused outright, but thought it over.

"I don't want to trample any evidence," he finally said. "I'll be fine. It was just a movie."

Grissom nodded, sure that Greg was serious now. That he was okay.

"What do you think everyone's doing?" Greg asked sounding more somber now.

Grissom was growing use to Greg's thought process. Greg really did just tend to speak whatever was on his mind, whenever he chose. In a way he envied that type of freedom. Grissom never spoke what was really on his mind, not in that way at least.

"I imagine their working cases."

"You think?" Greg asked, leaning forward and stretching out his long arms, "Yeah, I guess they'd have to be."

Another silence followed.

"How long will the look for us?"

"A week," Grissom answered, "Maybe two. After that they'll assume the elements got to us."

Greg was running his hands through his hair now. It was the first time Grissom could ever remember it looking so tame. It was positively flat but considering they'd been out in the rain for two days and without showers for longer, he shouldn't have been surprised.

"So what, will they hold a service or a memorial? Give everyone three days off to grieve."

"Greg," Grissom tried, not liking where this conversation seemed to be headed. "We're going home."

Greg started coughing again, really straining now.

"I wonder if they've called my mother. She's my emergency contact for all the good it would do," Greg continued. "She'll probably be relieved. Who's yours?"

"Catherine is."

"Really?" Greg asked, his interest peaked.

"I had to put someone down," Grissom responded and Greg could almost hear the rest of that sentence. 'And there was no one else.'

"I should put her down too," Greg said really meaning it. "She's probably got a better idea of what I'd want then my mother would."

"Why is that?" Grissom asked.

"I told you, my mom and I don't get along. She thinks I wrecked her life."

"She told you this?" Grissom asked, disbelievingly.

"She's never had too. It was my fault that her and my father aren't together. He didn't want kids and then I came along and ruined it for both of them. When she finally gave up on him and moved away to New York I was two and she left me with my grandparents upstate."

"Papa Olaf?" Grissom asked causing a grin to momentarily break over Greg's face.

"The one and only. She showed back up when I was seven, ready to have a son again because she had a husband. Henry never liked me because I wasn't his idea of what a boy should be. I liked science and books and he was a complete jock among other things. I really didn't spend a lot of time at home. They both worked a lot and I spent most of my holidays and summers with my grandparents."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Two half-sisters, Olivia and Katie, twenty and seventeen. Olivia is at Yale now but we've never been close. But Katie, Katie is brilliant. She's going to Julliard. She's a violinist. Watching her play, it's amazing. She's just a complete natural at it, has been playing since she was six."

"I thought we wouldn't have anything in common in the music department?"

"Well," Greg smiled, "we are talking about my baby sister. Of course I'm going to like anything she plays. Not that I know what it is."

Somehow Grissom doubted that, but smiling let it pass. It was easy to see that aside from his grandparents, Greg's only real friend within his family was this sister.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Greg asked, realizing he knew as little about Grissom as Grissom did about him.

"No," he said, "I was an only child."

Greg nodded and then lost himself in thought briefly.

"Do you ever think about that?" Greg asked.

"About what?" Grissom asked in return, lost as to what Greg could mean now.

"Having kids? A family?"

"I think everyone does from time to time."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just, when I was in college I thought I'd be married by now. I haven't even had a steady girlfriend in six months. The last date I went on was last month and it was a disaster. Got called in just as, well it doesn't matter, I got called in. At this rate I'm going to have to start looking into mail order brides."

Grissom laughed.

"Marriage isn't in the cards for everyone Greg."

Greg looked at him and it was as if a light had been lit. He'd of blushed if it was possible given the sunburn. Greg hadn't been thinking, just rambling on without realizing. Grissom was close to twenty years his senior, unmarried, and here he was talking about it like it was the worst thing in the world. Incapable of blushing, he grew silent instead.

"It's the job," Grissom said after several uneasy moments.

Greg just stared at him blankly.

"Remember when I told you to really consider if you wanted to be in the field, if you were ready for the sacrifices? Social life, it's the first thing to go."

Greg nodded now in understanding.

"Working nights, tough case, long hours. It's unavoidable. Something has to give."

"But, not impossible right? I mean, there's got to be a way to make it work. Having it all?"

"I wouldn't know."

Again Greg nodded.

"So the perfect person would be someone who would understand all those long hours, tough cases and nights at work," Greg said sounding cryptic.

"If such a person exists."

"I think she does."

Grissom looked at him, but Greg was looking off into the fire. He was close enough to it that he seemed to be sweating and Grissom thought that at least part of his ramblings tonight had to be fever induced. Despite the warmth of the fire Greg was still shivering slightly.

Greg had dozed off without Grissom realizing it. Slightly concerned, he went over to him and pulled his chair away from the fire as much as he dared. He placed a hand on his forehead, the first chance he'd been afforded since he'd begun to suspect the worse of Greg's condition, and wasn't surprised to find it burning up. His temperature was easily in the hundreds but the fact that Greg had the chills was a good sign. His body was at least fighting the infection.

Finding a few spare blankets and a foot stool, he propped up Greg's feet and covered him as well. Grissom took the couch and as he sank into it he couldn't remember anything feeling more comfortable before in his life. He knew that was due to the fact that he'd slept on the ground for three nights, but that didn't change the sensation.

Grissom's last thoughts as he went to sleep that night were filled with Greg's last words. He couldn't help but guess at the meaning, thought he knew already it. He'd heard rumblings before that Greg had harbored a crush on a certain CSI but didn't think it was a serious one. Greg sounded serious now, but there was no telling if that was him or the fever talking. It could be nothing, but the way he talked about her. Not just today, every day since they'd begun their little journey. Hadn't he just been describing her now?

And even if Greg was, why was that thought so unsettling to him?

* * *

**I move this to the end because it's gotten HUGE! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I enjoy them all!**

**life sucks, get used to it** – by all means, do not neglect your studies to read this! This will sound like such a suck up thing to say, but I always feel lucky when I get a review. If anyone takes the time to tell me that they liked what I've done I'm thrilled. So, thank you very much! Hope I continue to keep your attention.

**BeyondMyStar** – so glad your liking both my stories! I kind of got the idea, like I said, touring the country on the way to Vegas. I kept picturing the types of conversations Greg and Griss would had with nothing better to do. I have no plans, now or ever, to kill off a main character from CSI. It would be too sad. Thanks for the great compliment. I think I can provide plenty of angst for all. :)

**Storyspindler** -- I'm definitely going to reference Papa Olaf fairly soon. He's always mentioned him kindly, at least every time I've seen it on the show, and I'm going to make my own reasons why.

**dee **-- Glad you like, I'm trying to update as quickly as I can but I've got another monster piece I'm writing 'Privacy' that's splitting my time. Once that's done I'm going to finish this before beginning anything new.

**Fwe** – review when you can, I'm always glad to hear from you because your usually on to my plot well ahead of anyone else. I think I can give this away without ruining much, but the cell phones aren't going to help. :)

**white rose01** – yeah, there aren't a lot of hospitals in the mountains around here. Lots in the city though, but they won't be back any time soon. hope this chapter satisfied some of your curiosity!

**Grrlnorth** -- Yeah, I'm guilty of using the CBS site for a lot of my information. I haven't watched every episode and don't have the DVDs (yet) so it's all I had. Its bad to be so far off, but now I'm committed to it; it would be too hard to turn around now. I made the same mistake in by Happy trilogy and neglected that Greg had lived in New York, but again, too late. My next piece that isn't related to this or the other will be more accurate. (ch 4) I had to have the trail lead to something and given the title and my plans to never kill a main character, a body must be found!

**GottaGetGreg** -- Go angst! One day I hope to hold the title of Queen of Angst. :)

**Tripp3235 **– Thanks, I find the conversations the hardest but usually end up being the biggest parts of the pieces. Happy you find them natural. I always worry I don't get Grissom right.

**Sheela** – There will be more about Greg's father (at least my version of events) and I think I told someone else that Papa Olaf will be involved as well. Thanks for adding it to your favorites!

**Sillie**—Glad you liked it and that you added it to 'Labrats' community! Can I recommend one for that community: A Thin Yellow Line by RivenSky. It's in the CSI: Miami listing but it's a crossover with CSI and is a Greg/Ryan slash piece.

**Goody** – Before I start, love your stories and I'm really complimented that you like this one. I really enjoy character pieces myself but always worry I'm getting it wrong. I know it's really my interpretation of the character, but I dread being off. Thanks for the review and please keep writing!

**boboskiwatin** – lovin the love! I'll try to keep it original!

**carolann** – I love the list idea, I'm thinking of starting one of my own.

**cupotrevor** -- Yeah, even on a semi-enforced vacation Grissom will not rest! :)

**tabbi** -- my new goal in life is to ensure that everyone's free time is spent reading some sort of fan fic involving Greg Sanders.

**Rob, lins, Dee, Jen, Jackie, Jewelbaby** -- thanks for the reviews!


	6. Day Five

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Day Five**

Greg woke up close to dawn. The fire had gone out and he still felt cold. Doing his best to stand up and stretch his entire body rebelled. It was as if he'd been beaten down, he felt that sore. He managed to cross the room without waking Grissom, who looked deep in sleep on the couch, and went into the kitchen.

He wasn't looking for anything, just needed to be moving. Today his chest felt tighter then it had yesterday and that couldn't be good. In fact Greg already had an inkling to exactly what the problem was; he was just in denial about it. His leg was alright, still tender but moving well now.

Carefully he looked out the window. Despite Grissom telling him that the bottom floor was cleared, he didn't touch anything. The weather looked nice in the early light. No clouds visible. Might be a good day. He hoped it was. It would have to be if he was going to convince Grissom of what needed to be done.

Making his way back into the living room, he sat back down just as Grissom opened his eyes.

"Morning," Greg said loud and chipper.

"How long have you been up?" he asked, sitting now.

"Not long. Took a stroll to the kitchen and back."

Grissom nodded but noted how tired Greg still looked. He had bags under his eyes and was still fighting down the chills.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," Greg answered. It wasn't entirely untrue. His leg did feel better, just not the rest of him.

"Did you eat?"

"No, I'm not really hungry."

Grissom looked grim and nodded. He had no plans on eating if Greg wasn't, but it had been two days. Greg needed it more then he did now. He was getting sicker by the minute.

Greg began coughing again. Grissom got up quickly and got the only bottle of water they had left, offering it to him. At first he'd refused, but then took a sip once the coughs died down.

"Thanks."

Grissom didn't say anything to that. For a minute neither spoke.

"Listen Griss," he began, "I've been thinking that we can't stay here. Realistically, that body's been here for how long, twenty years right?"

"Eighteen."

"How do you figure that?" Greg asked, truly in awe now.

"The expiration dates on the food. It all dates back to 1987."

Greg nodded. He'd of never thought of looking at that.

"A long time. Eighteen years is a long time for a scene to go untouched."

Greg was obliged to stop again as another series of coughs overtook him. Grissom waited until they subsided wanting to hear where he was going with this.

"We can't stay here."

"Greg," Grissom tried to interrupt, but Greg wouldn't be deterred.

"We can't. No one's going to find us here."

"Greg, I know…"

"Our only option is…"

"I agree, Greg."

Grissom had talked just loud and forcefully enough to stop him.

"Good," Greg said nodding. He'd never thought it would be that easy. "Good, so when do you want to leave?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Greg stared at him now and shook his head.

"I'm… me? No, Grissom, you didn't understand. I meant you. You have to go. I'm not going to make it. I won't make it down that first hill. Walking to the kitchen…"

Again he stopped overcome by coughs due to his sudden agitation.

"See?" he said, his breathing labored now, "This is from walking to the kitchen. If I go with you I'll just slow you down. That road goes somewhere. The owner of this house had to have used it to get to an interstate or county road. Had too."

"Greg, I'm not leaving you here alone."

"I'm too sick," he returned, still shaking his head, "I know what this is. In another day, two at tops, I won't be getting up at all. Its pneumonia, I've had it before. I remember the feeling. It's in my chest now."

"That's exactly why I can't leave you here alone."

"No. You have too," Greg said in a voice he'd never used near Grissom before. He was every bit as loud and forceful as Grissom had been moments ago and completely serious. "We can both stay here and you can watch me die or you can go try and find help."

"You're not going to die Greg."

"Not if you find help."

"Greg."

"I'm serious. If we both go I'll slow you down. What could be a day's walk to the main road could turn into three. And on the third morning, I could just not get up."

Grissom stared at him and knew he was scared. Greg was trying his best to hide it, doing well actually, but the fear was still there. He knew it was because Grissom was scared too.

"I'm not leaving you here," Grissom said firmly.

Greg put his head into his hands, frustrated. He didn't know what to do. Trying for a road was their only hope now, but he didn't think he'd make it. Physically as well as emotionally. Another night under the stars might be his last.

"I found a map yesterday," Grissom began slowly, "it looks like that road out front is an access road off of old county one-oh-eight. It looks like it's about ten miles in length."

Greg nodded, listening but not agreeing. Ten miles that might as well be a million.

"From county one-oh-eight, it's probably another thirty till we make the two-fifteen."

"Thirty?" Greg asked in disbelief knowing he'd never make it that far. His chest hurt thinking about it.

"We just have to make it to one-oh-eight. It's still patrolled regularly, traveled even. Someone will find us."

Greg looked up at him, saw he was serious. That no matter what Grissom would never be convinced to just set out on his own.

Breathing a ragged sigh, Greg decided.

"When do we leave?"

They took two hours getting ready. Grissom had seen an old manual pump in the yard and tried it first for water with success. As he did Greg built back up the fire and found another two containers they could use to transport water in plus a solid looking backpack. After boiling the water they filled the containers and the two bottles up as far as possible. Greg picked through his case for what might be useful, knowing they wouldn't be taking it with them. It was too bulky. The only item he was hesitant to leave was his iPod. Grissom had pressed him to bring it along but he refused. The batteries had already died and it would just be dead weight.

Ready to go they set off down the road. Grissom had taken the map knowing that once they were found they'd be back later to recover the remains. They didn't talk as they walked and their pace was slow since Greg needed to conserve his air. He had taken his walking stick without really needing it, feeling the time would come when he would.

After half an hour they stopped to rest. Grissom's plan was to walk for thirty minutes and rest for ten unless Greg needed more time. For most of the morning he hadn't, not until just after noon.

They'd passed the original trail now and were now completely in new territory. Sitting down without the benefit of a tree for shade they decided on a longer break, an hour at least. Greg now seemed to be wheezing with every breath and Grissom thought he might have made a mistake.

"What else can we talk about?" Greg asked, sounding strained but trying hard to act as if nothing was wrong. "We did books and movies. My screwed up family. What else is there?"

"Maybe we shouldn't talk."

Greg had begun shaking his head before Grissom had even finished the sentence.

"No. It's too quiet. We have to talk about something."

"Okay," Grissom agreed, "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Work is my hobby," Greg said sounding a little better having rested some. "What else have you got?"

"Alright," Grissom continued undeterred, "If you had the choice where would you live?"

"Anywhere?"

Grissom nodded, glad he'd evidently caught his interest.

"Well, I picked Vegas over Los Angeles, I'd do that again. But if I could live anywhere I'd probably pick Sydney."

"Australia?"

"Why not? They've got waves and mountains. It'd be fun. I've always wanted to go."

Grissom nodded.

"My turn," Greg said, ignoring Grissom's puzzled expression. "If you could do one thing over, what would it be?"

"You're going to have to be more specific Greg."

"Okay," Greg tried again, "There's got to be a time that, when you wanted to say yes you said no, or the other way around. Doesn't matter which. If you could, would you change it?"

"I think everyone feels that at least once they made a wrong choice."

"That's not what I asked. What would you change if you could?"

"Right now?"

"Right now," Greg pressed.

"I think, right now, if I could change one thing, I would have told you yes. That I would leave without you."

Greg laughed at this, hard, causing Grissom to do the same.

"I guess I deserve that," Greg said after he'd gotten it under control.

"What about you?"

"Same question?" Greg asked, still smiling.

Grissom nodded.

"Well, that's easy Grissom," he returned, "I'd have told you no. That there was no way I needed the overtime badly enough to come in twelve hours early to process a db in the middle of nowhere. Then we both wouldn't be here."

Grissom smile faded some as did Greg's.

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, if I still had my notebook I could write that down and pin it to my chest. That way when we are found there won't be much to investigate."

Several uneasy minutes of silence followed before Grissom decided it was time to get moving again.

"Ready?" he asked.

Greg nodded and stood up indicating he was.

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," Grissom assured.

Greg followed behind him, slow as ever, hoping he was right.


	7. Night Five

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes:** life sucks, get use to it – thanks for the fix. I've edited it now. :)

**Night Five**

The road was seemingly endless. At least it was in Greg's mind. They'd been walking for most of the day and still hadn't reached anything resembling real pavement.

He was doing it over and over in his head. Calculating the distance. They'd walked six hours that day, average speed was two miles an hour, that put them around twelve miles and the dirt path was supposed to hit county road in ten. It wasn't right. They should be on it already.

Greg was so intent on doing the math, watching his feet as he walked, concentrating on just keeping one foot going in front of the next, he hadn't noticed Grissom had stopped. Greg practically plowed him over before he realized it.

"What?" Greg asked as he stumbled back a few steps.

But Grissom didn't speak. He didn't have to answer the question. Greg looked up and he knew 'what'.

"Where'd the road go?" Greg asked as if Grissom could possibly answer that. "Griss, the road. Where's the road?"

The fence they had walked beside had ended several miles back but the dirt road had gone on so they'd followed it assuming they were getting closer. It had gotten less and less even, but it had been there until now. Now, the road they had been following just petered out into what could only be described as a barren wasteland.

Grissom ignored the questions and put down the pack, digging through it until he found the map. Hastily unfolding it he reexamined his calculations.

"We went the wrong way."

"What?" Greg asked, turning from the sight before him to Grissom now eyes wide and disbelieving.

"We went the wrong way," Grissom repeated, handing him the map.

He'd assumed too much. Assumed that the direct they had wanted to go was the one they'd come from. They had no compass, no other guide other then the setting and rising sun which hadn't been seen for days due to cloud cover and rain. He had no excuse. Fatigue could be blamed, but Grissom wouldn't do that. He messed up pure and simple.

Greg took the map and stared down at it. It showed the roads end at the Dead Land Wash. It wasn't a name to inspire confidence, and using the key he quickly figured that it was at least twenty miles across to interstate five-fifteen.

Grissom sat down now, unsure what they should do. Either way, they were now at least twenty miles from a real traveled road. Greg joined him. He'd begun breathing through his mouth two hours ago, almost a pant. His lungs were now becoming strained for air and they both knew he wouldn't be walking for too much longer.

After twenty minutes of silence Greg stood up to begin looking for firewood. Grissom helped him and it wasn't long before they had one started.

Greg sat almost too close, still cold but now with reason. The temperature had dropped with the sunset and Grissom felt the chill now as well.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"No. Not for that," Greg answered.

The only food they had left was a candy bar. Greg was seriously doubting he'd ever want a Snickers bar again in his life. That was assuming they lived through this nightmare.

"Why don't you eat it," Greg offered, "I'd just get sick. My stomach feels sour."

Grissom politely shook his head. He was still determined to only eat if Greg did.

"Now if you had soup," Greg continued, "I'd say yes. Soup sounds good. It's warm. Something like tomato or egg drop. Egg drop soup with those crunchy noodles and green onions."

"Greg," Grissom cut him off.

"Not helping am I?"

Grissom shook his head beginning another long silence.

"I'm sorry about today."

"Honest mistake," Greg responded. "I've done it before. Everyone has. When I drove all my stuff out here from San Francisco I almost ended up in Utah."

Grissom smiled at him. It was unbelievable. The man could literally forgive anyone their mistakes.

"Utah is nice. Good skiing."

"You ski?" Greg asked now with real interest.

"Sometimes. I use too; I just don't really get the chance much anymore. Have you been?"

"Not since I was a teenager. We did a family vacation to Aspen one winter. A real family vacation, one I actually went on. I hated it. I don't really like snow. More of a summer sports kind of guy."

"The surfing and swimming."

"Hey, you do pay attention at the lab."

Grissom laughed and Greg did too, producing his first real fit of coughs since night had fallen.

It lasted longer then either of them would have cared for but Greg felt better afterwards.

"I think it might be clearing," Greg hazarded to say.

Grissom said nothing, not wanting to ruin his optimism. Greg laid back, arms behind his head looking up at the stars. The fire was now directly between them.

"Wow," Greg marveled. "I always forget how many there are."

"Didn't see much of them in the city I'm guessing," Grissom said, leaning back and looking up now too.

"No, not really."

For a time it was peaceful. Greg almost forgot he wasn't lost and in danger of dying and could just think of it as an extended camping trip.

"I wish I could remember the names. I took an astronomy class at Berkley but apart from the bigger dipper, it's all a blank."

"Ursa Major."

Greg sat up part ways and looked over at him with a blank stare.

"The big dipper is called Ursa Major."

Greg lay back down with a nod of his head.

"That star is Sirius. It's the easiest to find since it's the brightest. It's part of Canis Major."

"You really do know everything," Greg said sounding awed once more.

"Not everything Greg, I've just lived longer then you have. In twenty years…"

Grissom stopped speaking abruptly and both men sat straight up at the sound of brush moving nearby.

"Wind?" Greg whispered hopefully still looking in the direction of the noise.

Grissom was quietly, as quietly as he could, retrieving the flashlight from the backpack.

"Rabbit probably," he returned.

"Or a fox."

Grissom nodded before standing. They'd decided before leaving the house that morning that he should carry the gun, even though it was Greg's. It seemed safest that way since Greg's aim probably wasn't up to par given how sick he was. Now, switching on the beam to scan the area, Grissom also pulled the weapon off his belt. Greg was standing now as well.

After ten minutes or more of steady silence between them, both straining to see what might be past the light, Grissom put the gun away and sat back down.

"Whatever it was is gone now."

Greg nodded and hesitantly sat again.

"So tomorrow, what do you think," Grissom asked, "Should we head back up the road or keep going forward?"

"You're asking me?"

Grissom nodded. They were in this together it was time for him to stop making all the decisions for them.

"Well," Greg said, thinking as he spoke, "as unappealing as the spooky murder house is, honest? If we came across it again, or another like it, I'd board myself up in it and you'd have to drag me out kicking and screaming. So, heading back might not be such a good idea if we ever want to get out of here."

"Do you think you're up for a twenty mile walk?"

"We'll see," Greg answered, but he'd also shook his head.

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow, you should get some sleep."

"After that?" Greg asked incredulously, "You have got to be kidding. After that scare I don't think I'll ever need coffee again. I'll have these fond memories to look back on and keep me awake at night."

Grissom laughed at him, at how animated he'd suddenly become. Greg still had a lot of fight left in him. It was good to see. Reassuring.

"You should at least try."

"I will. Soon."

Grissom nodded and relaxed again.

"How do you like working in the field full time?" Grissom asked.

"Not much right now," Greg said, but his tone was light. It was an obvious joke.

"Seriously."

"Seriously, I like it. I do, but it's strange though. For awhile I felt like that guy, you know, from the Tom Hanks movie? Wait, you wouldn't know, you don't watch movies. Anyway, the guy without country. Stuck in limbo at the airport."

"The man without a land?"

"Exactly," Greg said as if it hadn't been a question. "Because I didn't really belong to the tech team any more and I wasn't really one of you guys either. You may not realize it but the techs are all close. We talk, hang out after shift. Kind of like the investigators all do."

Grissom nodded and waited for him to continue but Greg got a little lost in thought.

"I kind of miss that. You know, I can't remember the last time I sat and had a conversation with Bobby or Jacqui, with any of them. But I guess I don't really belong with them anymore. Don't have time."

"But you feel like you belong now don't you, with us?"

"Yeah, of course. It's great now." Greg said, but he didn't sound as sure as Grissom was use to hearing him. "Sometimes. It does get old being treated like a kid. I know I've never done much to stop the misconception, but it's not like I'm fresh out of college."

"I didn't realize."

"That's because I don't talk about it," Greg shrugged it off.

"I've never made you feel that way, have I?"

"No, it's not you. I don't know. It's not like it's anything specifically said or done, it's just an overall vibe I get. Probably all in my head."

The silence grew uneasy now. Stretched out between them.

"I think I'm going to try and get some sleep," Greg said before he turned away onto his side.

He mumbled something that sounded like goodnight and nothing else was said until morning.


	8. Day Six

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Day Six**

"You're going to have to eat."

Greg shook his head. They'd been arguing about it all morning. Cold, exhausted, sore and burnt, Greg had never felt less like eating before in his life.

It was dawn now and they were picking up their camp site. They wanted an early start. They needed to make it as far as they could today while they were still able. There was at least twenty miles between them and the interstate and it looked to be a long, slow journey.

"Greg," Grissom continued, "you need it for strength."

"It's a waste of food. You eat it. I'm just going to throw it up."

"Try."

Greg stopped what he was doing and took the offered bar. Breaking off the smallest piece he thought would satisfy Grissom, he hastily put it into his mouth before handing the rest back.

"Happy?" he asked before he'd even swallowed.

"Yes," Grissom answered putting the rest away.

"No, no, no," Greg started, "If I eat, you eat."

"I'll be fine." Mentally adding, 'I'm not sick. Yet.'

Greg gave him the closest thing he had to a contemptuous look before turning away to get a drink of water. His mouth felt drier for having had chocolate in it and he was too angry to do anything else.

"Ready?" Grissom asked.

Greg nodded briefly but said nothing. He really was angry with him. To prove it he didn't talk to him until well after their third stop. Even then, Grissom had to provoke him into it.

"Aren't you getting too old to be resorting to the silent treatment?"

"You're never too old for that," he answered flatly.

Greg had said it without opening his eyes, without even stirring. He'd taken to lying down during each stop. He'd shut his eyes, pull his arms around himself as if it wasn't already eighty degrees out and climbing, and tune it all out. Frankly, it was scaring Grissom. Not the silence, he'd seen Greg silent before, but the stillness. Greg Sanders was never this still.

Stopping longer then usual, Grissom took in their surroundings.

Washes consisted mostly of smooth sand, harder to walk in, but with some benefits. It was flatter and less overgrown with bushes. Of course, if they got another rain, a hard one, they'd likely get swept off course and Greg might get his wish of visiting Arizona. They were called washes for a reason. It was where all the rain went when it washed off the mountains.

But it looked like there was little chance of rain today. The sun was bright, the clouds were few and it was hot.

"Time to get moving," Grissom said as he stood up.

They'd sat too long. Hadn't covered nearly enough ground and judging by the sun in the sky, it was close to noon.

"Greg, come on. Let's go."

But Greg didn't stir. Grissom, concerned, came over and gently shook his arm repeating himself as he did. Still nothing.

"Greg!" he yelled now with still no response.

Without realizing he was doing it, Grissom put two fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. Looking at his own watch to time it, he hadn't noticed Greg waking up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, confusion clearly written across his features.

Grissom looked at him strangely for a moment before removing his hand.

"You didn't wake up."

"So you thought I was dead?"

"No, just… unconscious."

"Isn't that the definition of sleep?"

Grissom didn't answer him. Just stood and stepped back, offering Greg a hand up which was accepted. Grissom didn't want to answer him. There were many definitions of sleep. He'd thought Greg might have passed out, consumed finally by the infection in his chest. The relief he felt on seeing that wasn't true was short lived.

Greg had gotten to his feet and swayed. Not just swayed, nearly collapsed. Grissom took hold of both his arms and sat him down again.

"You need more water."

His head hurt too much to argue. That and he was seeing double and hearing things. Greg, at that moment, could swear he heard a helicopter. Closer then the last time, louder then before.

"I'm losing it," Greg mumbled, rubbing his hands over his head.

But Grissom didn't believe that because he'd heard it too. Could see it even and it was much closer. Closer but still too far away to be of use. It looked as if it was roughly in the same place they'd been three days before when Greg had nearly drowned in that creek.

That thought struck him. It had only been three days ago. It felt like longer.

At Grissom's continued silence, Greg looked up. Saw it too. It was the same one as before. Had to be. This time he felt little hope.

Greg wasn't disappointed. Again, before it acknowledged them or got close enough, it was gone.

Taking a good hold on the walking stick this time and latching on to Grissom's arm, Greg hoisted himself to his feet.

"I'm ready now."

Grissom, who had still been looking off at where the copter had been didn't respond right away.

"Griss," Greg tried again, moving away slowly as he did, "Lot's of ground to cover. Remember?"

Giving up on it, he slung the backpack into place and turned to go. Not trusting that Greg was completely okay to continue, he decided to walk beside him now instead of in front. Greg either didn't notice the difference or didn't mind because it was never brought up.

"Think they found our campsite?" Greg asked without further explanation. Grissom knew exactly what he'd meant.

"It's possible. Although, with so much rain it's not likely there's anything left for them to find."

Greg thought about that but didn't believe it. Grissom had wanted to stay there and he'd talked him out of it. He'd said something about floods and water and what else he couldn't remember, but mostly Greg just didn't want to stay there. He'd nearly drowned there. Knew how close it had been and how lucky he was. He hadn't wanted to stay there because it had been terrifying. Maybe now, if they had, they could be heading home. It wasn't an easy thing to think about and probably not the smartest thing to dwell on, but Greg had lots of time to kill.

"I've been thinking that the reason I don't watch movies anymore is because I don't know which ones to watch," Grissom said.

It wasn't a very smooth start to conversation, but that had never been his strong point. Greg looked as if he needed the distraction. He was just trying to provide one.

"Ignorance is not excuse," Greg said.

He was looking at his feet but smiling as he did it. Grissom noticed how much of his weight he was putting onto that stick, surprised it hadn't snapped at the pressure. Surprised Greg hadn't snapped either. He was tougher then he looked, not complaining, just putting one foot in front of the next, moving forward.

"I suppose that's true."

"Well, what are you interested in? Besides bugs and dead bodies. Although…"

Greg was forced to stop both talking and walking for a moment as another series of coughs came over him. When he'd recovered he began again.

"Although, you did like Silence of the Lambs, that had both. Did you see Red Dragon?"

"No, why?"

"It's the prequel, only it came last. Pretty good, the book was better, so was the original movie actually. Red Dragon's a remake of a movie called Manhunter. It's bad enough that they make books into movies and don't get it right, but they also remake already good movies. No originality."

Again Greg was forced to stop, but this time only talking. He'd said so much he was a little breathless.

"Did you read the books?" Greg asked after a lengthy pause.

"No I haven't. Are they good?"

"Really good. You should check them out."

"I might do that."

"So what do you like in a movie? Suspense? Comedy? Action?"

"I guess I'm most interested in human drama."

Greg looked up at him briefly as if he was surprised.

"Really?"

"Why?"

Greg shrugged having returned to watching his feet.

"I don't know. You just don't seem the type."

Grissom let it pass. He'd almost asked what type he did seem like but was afraid of the answer. Greg was being a bit more honest with his answers then he was use too. It was a combination of illness and fatigue, and not a good one.

"Human drama," Greg mused, "I'd think Ghost World, maybe, but I don't know if you'd like that. American Splendor, but you don't look like you care about comic books."

"American Splendor wasn't a typical comic book and it was a little more my generation then yours."

"So you've seen the movie?"

"No, but I do know what you're talking about."

They didn't speak again until their next break. The day was wearing on and Greg looked to be worn out. Their stops were getting longer and longer and they hadn't covered nearly enough land as of yet.

"Do you have regrets?" Greg asked, still breathless from the effort of walking. "Because I was just thinking about that. Things I should have done and didn't. Said but couldn't. Isn't that how dying people think?"

"You're not dying."

"But I've been thinking like I am," Greg countered, and his grin was a bit off.

"It's not the same."

"Your perception."

Grissom looked him over. He was shaky now, worse then before. Sweating and very burnt. Greg's neck had started to blister, but then again so had his own. On top of the pneumonia that was certainly in Greg's lungs, he probably had heatstroke. Grissom thought he might have heatstroke as well because Greg was starting to make sense and his head was pounding.

"You know how I said I've never met my father?"

Grissom nodded silently.

"I wanted too. I went to Berkley to work up the nerve. I figured, because he still lived in the area, I'd have an excuse. Just go there one day and say I was in the neighborhood or something and wanted to meet the other half of my genetic makeup. The sperm donor."

Grissom listened without needing too. Greg was practically babbling. Taking out the water bottle again, he pressed it into his hands. Greg hardly noticed.

"I knew where he lived, found him pretty easily in the phone book, and went to his house once. I don't know what I was expecting to do or say, but it turns out I didn't do anything. I was across the street, working up the nerve to just go over, when he stepped outside. He had another family."

"Drink something Greg."

Greg, if he'd heard, didn't obey. He just continued on talking.

"My mother had always said that my real father had never wanted kids but there he was with three of them. Girls. All girls. I have three half-sisters I've never met, not just a father, a whole other family."

"The water Greg. Please."

Greg seemed to have heard that. Something broke the spell because he looked up at him momentarily before taking a small drink from the bottle in hand before hastily giving it back.

"He came to see me once," Greg started again, but this time sounding more like the Greg Grissom knew, "Stopped by the lab one night last year like we were old friends."

"What happened?"

"I uh… I refused to sign him in. I wouldn't even go to the lobby and give him an explanation. Told the receptionist that I didn't know who he was and that was that. I regret that. I should have at least met him once. Looked him in the eye and told him all the things… but that's why it's called regret. Can't change it now. I'd probably do the same thing again."

"You'll have time to meet him on your own terms," Grissom said solemnly, "Just don't take too long."

Greg eyed him as if he didn't understand.

"If you wait too long you might end up missing something you never knew you would."

"Spoken from experience?"

"I told you Greg, I've lived a lot longer then you have."

"You know you give pretty good advice Griss, I just wonder if you take it."

It was Grissom's turn to eye him now. Not without understanding, but shrewdly.

"I don't know what I'm saying," Greg said with a twitch of his lips before looking away.

Grissom nodded once then stood. It was time to move again. Time to push forward. This time the silence, harsher then it was intended to be, lasted until sunset.


	9. Night Six

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes and thanks at the bottom.**

**Night Six**

They'd stopped just before the sun had set. There was no telling how far they'd gone or even how far they still had to go at this point. The only certain thing was that tonight they could go no further.

Grissom quietly set about making a fire. He'd gotten very efficient at it. Greg had just sat down, unmoving since they'd stopped. He didn't look like he had enough energy left to move, let alone breathe, but he was managing. Mouth open, slowly pulling in air through his nose, letting it escape again like a wet whistle through his mouth. It was a sickening sound and it made Grissom wonder if that day, the one Greg had talked about, was going to be tomorrow. The day Greg just couldn't get up any more.

With the fire going, Grissom decided he needed to eat. Breaking off as small of a piece as Greg had done that morning of their only food, he sat down and tried to warm himself by the fire. He felt cold.

He'd tried to tell himself that it was the night air. That even though the sun had just set, the desert cooled off quickly and the chills he was experiencing were due primarily to the fact that his body had gotten so adjusted to the heat of the day. Grissom tried to tell himself that but rationally he knew it wasn't the case.

That afternoon he'd begun coughing. Not the loud, violent coughs Greg had been enduring for the last few days. His were smaller, quieter. Easy coughs that could be from the dust or could be a cold. Coughs that sounded exactly the way Greg's had at the beginning of this odyssey.

The odds were not in his favor either. Six days they'd been out in the elements with only one night of decent shelter, the rest practically none, two of those in the rain. That and the fact that he was willingly sharing drinking containers and food with someone he knew has extremely sick, Grissom could only be shocked that it hadn't happened sooner.

Lost in thought he hadn't noticed Greg was staring at him now.

"Do you think it's much further?"

"At least six more miles, eight at the most."

Grissom knew that statement was stretching optimism to its breaking point. They'd be lucky if they'd cut the distance in half today.

Greg looked a little better now. More rested, but not well.

Again Greg broke the silence. It was unnerving to him. He needed to hear something, even if it was just himself speaking. Something other then the vast emptiness surrounding them.

"So, I've always wanted to know," Greg said, his words a bit breathier then usual, "what do you do for fun?"

"Certainly not camping."

Greg's chuckle turned into a full coughing fit, soon under control, but momentarily scary.

"I'm a roller coaster enthusiast," Grissom offered, as soon as it appeared Greg was able to talk again.

"I'd heard that," Greg said, and continued only at Grissom's look of wonder, "Lab tech gossip mill. I told you we talked. Not that I believe half of what's said. Some of it, but most of its crap."

"What else is floating around out there about me?" Grissom asked.

"It's not," Greg stammered, wishing he'd just kept his mouth shut, "Nothing really. You're the boss, no one…"

"Everyone talks about the boss Greg."

"Well," Greg continued reluctantly, "like your hearing. I think we were on to you first about that. We've got a lot more time to observe our co-workers then you'd think. Listen to me, I keep forgetting I'm not part of that 'we' anymore."

"That couldn't have been the only time."

"No," Greg admitted, "There were some other rumors, once."

"Once? About what?"

Greg suddenly felt like he was back in high school ratting out his friends to the principal. Not that that was something he'd ever done. But with Grissom looking at him the way he was, he knew that it wasn't going to be possible to back peddle out of this now.

"Like," he hesitated.

"Like?" Grissom prodded.

"Like things have been said about you and Sara."

Greg didn't let the pause last, not upon seeing the look that momentarily passed on Grissom's face. Nerves kicked in, despite the burn in his chest telling him to take it easy, he was compelled to talk.

"Not that anyone takes that sort of thing seriously. It's only talk. There was also talk about you and Catherine. Catherine and Warrick even. Makes me wonder what's being said about me now that I'm not around anymore to defend my actions."

Grissom offered him half a smile at that last part.

"Somehow I doubt that you leave very much for anyone to make up."

"True," Greg muttered, effectively silenced.

"Did you believe them?" Grissom asked, curious really. He didn't know exactly what had been said, doubted very much Greg was going to give specifics, but wanted to know what he thought just the same.

"About…"

"Sara and I. Did you believe them?"

Greg looked him straight in the eyes. Had too. It was the only honest thing to do.

"No."

Grissom nodded, pleased to see Greg wasn't as easily led by popular opinion then he'd always assumed, and proceeded to ask 'why not'.

"Because Sara would probably be a happier person if it was true."

Grissom, whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.

"She deserves to be a happier person," Greg continued, more for his own benefit.

Not for the first time since their trip had begun had Grissom begun to suspect something more then friend-like in Greg's musings about Sara. In any other circumstance it might have sounded hopeful, but as it stood it was best described as melancholy.

"I mean, you know," Greg began again abruptly changing both his tone and the mood, "she's a good person."

"Yes she is."

Greg nodded now, feeling foolish. Here he was telling his boss that everyone thought he'd been having an affair with a subordinate, while all but saying that same woman was the girl of his dreams. It was sick and twisted in ways he'd normally find funny. If they survived this, and that was looking like a big if now, he'd just have to claim it was the fever talking and truthfully, it probably was. He'd claim fever and sickness and never, ever bring it up again.

Another well timed bout of coughs undid any pressure they'd had to continue the conversation. Not that either of them were particularly anxious to do that.

"Do you think they're on our trail?" Greg asked finally, looking back without reason. It was all darkness now. He'd asked without sounding as if he believed it himself. As if he merely wanted Grissom's opinion on it.

"It's possible," Grissom reasoned, "But the rain did wash a way a good part of it."

"So the helicopter today was a fluke."

Grissom stared at him. He was right, it could have been, but that seemed a dangerous train of thought for either of them to take.

"Well, let's take into account everything we don't know first. We don't know if that's was a search copter or not. We don't know exactly where it was circling, just where it looked to be."

"We don't know if they're still searching at all," Greg added morosely.

"That too. Now what do we know?"

"Not where we are," Greg said, trying for levity but not actually achieving it.

"No, we know that. We're in the Dead Land Wash."

"Okay," Greg continued, "we know that I'm not very good at this."

"And that you can't light a fire," Grissom added.

"Yes, there's that," Greg said with a smile, despite himself. "But seriously, we haven't been leaving much of a trail for anyone to follow after."

"That's not entirely true. There's footprints."

"Which they would have had if it hadn't rained."

"But I'm talking about after the rain, in the mud. Those are still good."

"Until the next down pour."

Grissom shrugged his shoulders, it was a true statement, but he was trying to get Greg to have some hope about all of this. He couldn't let him give up.

"There's your wallet, your case."

"Griss, my wallet is probably on its way to the Pacific Ocean right now."

"But you weren't sure when you lost it."

"When else could I have?"

"It's possible you dropped it somewhere else."

"And my phone? And my notebook? Everything I kept in my pockets happens to fall out before I take a plunge into that creek? I'm not buying it."

"But it could have happened."

Greg shrugged now, not willing to argue about it.

"What else do we know?" Grissom asked again.

"My case, they could find," Greg admitted, "if they found that trail. If they're still even following it."

"They're not going to call off the search after only six days."

"You said a week. It's been nearly that."

"But it hasn't yet."

"So tomorrow then. Tomorrow's the last day we can expect anyone to be looking."

"I said sometimes a week. Sometimes two."

"We won't make two weeks out here."

"We won't have too," Grissom countered, "We'll hit real pavement by sundown tomorrow."

"You really think so?" Greg asked, wanting it to be true.

It was Grissom's turn to look him straight in the eyes. He had to make him believe it. Had too.

"Yes."

Greg nodded his head, his shoulders dropped a bit in relaxation.

"Get some rest," Grissom ordered, "We need to get moving early tomorrow."

He didn't need any more encouragement then that. Greg said a quick 'goodnight', lay down with his back to the fire and shut his eyes. He was out moments later.

Grissom didn't fall to sleep quite so easily. He wanted to believe they were on the right track. That they'd found a trail, only now wishing he'd left something more distinct. It was too late for that. Far too late.

But it was possible.

They could be on their trail. Could be moving through the night even after them. Given who was probably leading the search, they likely were working round the clock. And they really didn't know if Greg had dropped his possessions in that creek or elsewhere. Maybe they'd been found?

Maybe they would be found.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for sticking with me. I'm not updating with quite the regularity that I've obviously become infamous for. Sorry but I've been a bit preoccupied as of late. This story is winding down. I can't keep them out there forever, but I'm thinking it will be at least four more chapters.

**CSINut214** - rest assured, they will get found!

**white rose01** – seriously, what would I do without you and **fwe** reviewing my stories so faithfully? Probably write less, that's for sure! probably not too much longer, I don't want to kill them! I couldn't imagine being left alone that sick with nothing but a dead body for company. Ew.

**Tripp3235** – nice to see you on LJ! I'm a closet Greg/Sara shipper. Although, it's not very well hidden I guess. :) I think it would be a great unrequited triangle between the three of them. I may have to write something and add in Sophia just to be extra mean. I couldn't let Griss leave him behind, I don't think he would either. you know, he really isn't that much younger then any one else, maybe at heart, but still they do kind of treat him like he doesn't know anything. I've never liked that. Maybe because we're the same age and I'd be peeved at that attitude.

**Emmithar** – I thought it would be creepy there too. I figured Griss wouldn't mind it, but Greg is still new to it. pneumonia is awful. I've had it once and I hated every second of it. It's really like you can't breathe. Yeah, I've done it too. I thought this might be a bit too unlike Grissom, but they're both under a lot of stress. I love your story by the way. Everyone needs to go read it!

**life sucks, get used to it** – I really need to either buy or rent those DVDs myself! I've missed so much. egg drop soup is Chinese, but you might call it something else. I've only recently learned that I call things by names no one else uses. I blame my California heritage on that one. Oh and thanks for the fix, I've updated and credited you. :)

**Storyspindler** – review when you can, I love it regardless of frequency! I thought the notebook loss was bad too, but it had to be done. :) Also, it was Sara. I clear it up some, I hope, in this chapter. Glad you like my back story! More of it to come and thanks for the help. I had pneumonia once and it sucks! I did point that out with reason, Greg will need it. :)

**BabyAlyx96** – I don't think they get enough on air time together and thought this would be a nice getting to know you piece to write!

**GottaGetGreg** – I'm thinking another four chapters and I may writing an opposing view piece. See what everyone else is doing while they are lost. It may or may not happen, and it may or may not be so long. But it would be interesting. However, I've never written a CSI that hasn't centered on Greg… I don't know if I could pull it off. All I can imagine is Sara and Sophia are about to rip each other apart. :) Trust me, no one dies.

**Dee** – I liked the movie but find it far less scary outside the theater. Although, stuck in a house where someone was murdered, it would be the first thing in my head!

**tabbi** – Right now, I can't stop! It's sad really. I need to join some kind of support group.

**Em** – I've got an LJ account linked on my profile where this story is posted.

**Teenwitch** – thanks for the compliment! Yeah, I'm pushing my reluctant triangle thing. I love Greg too, although you probably find that hard to believe given all the crap I put him through in my stories. :)

**Sillie** - I've never written more dialogue in my life! It's been a challenge, but I'm glad everyone still finds it believable.

**Grrlnorth** – Glad you liked! I can't stop myself with the Greg/Sara stuff now! Yeah, I keep saying I won't kill anyone but damn if I'm not going to try! And having Griss leave would kind of ruin the whole 'bonding' part of this fic since it's hard to bond when you're no where near each other! it would be way too easy to just let them get to the road right away! I've got to drag this thing out!

**cuttlefish07** – hopefully I haven't kept you waiting too long!

**peaceful river** – I solemnly swear to not kill off either Grissom or Greg in this piece. Repeat, in this piece.

**PlasmaBomb** – wow, love and a great review. I'm speechless. Well, as speechless as I get. My notes page is getting longer then my chapters. Thanks though.

**cupotrevor** – I'll have to keep that in mind for the next one, but no, it really is just Griss and Greg out there.

**Fwe** – I'd wondered where you'd been! Joking – review when you can and only if you want too. I look forward to it, but completely understand that there are other things to be done! sorry about your computer. I hate it when that happens. Mine just got rebuilt, it's my husband's hobby to drive me insane like that. But trust me, Griss and Greg are alone out there. Sorry. I may get into that more now or maybe in another fic. I'm not sure yet.

**Duckie** – I've felt a little bad for Greg this season. They kind of do have him in a tough spot.

**BeyondMyStar** – unfortunately, he's going to get worse. I am being kind of cruel with that helicopter aren't I? hee hee…

**jewel2957** – complete rip off! You know, I knew that line sounded familiar when I wrote it down. Bad me, very bad me. Oh well, I'm not going to change it. They can sue if they like, I've got nothing:) Oh and, no one is going to die.

**Jackie** - glad you like. Thanks for reading it!

**ThreeDollarBill** – Happy to have you here! As of this chapter, they won't be out there much longer.

**annie** – Yeah, I had to sneak a William Peterson movie reference in there somewhere. I couldn't stop myself. :)

**me** – I've got an LJ account linked on my profile where this story can be found.

**Michele** – Always nice to hear that I'm keeping it believable! Thanks for reading and writing!

**Strata** – I'm horrible with the helicopters. I promise, no more helicopters… okay, that might be a lie. I can't make that promise. :)

**Amanda** – I always have a tough time with dialogue and I'm relieved it all sounds real to you. Love your email address btw. I don't have a website, but my LJ link is on my profile.

If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. Thanks for everyone who has read and reviewed!


	10. The Last Day

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Notes:** Yes the end is near. You can only torture characters for so long. :) Expect at least one more chapter after this.

**The Last Day**

Greg had a fitful night's sleep. Unable to get comfortable he spent most of it awake silently wishing away the pain. His chest felt like it was in a vice. The pressure was so tight, so intense, he'd of sworn he'd busted his ribs. Greg knew he hadn't, knew that he was at the point where medical attention was critical. Knew too that he was past the point of walking himself out of there to get that needed attention. In his mind it was no longer possible. He'd have to try again to convince Grissom to go on without him. If Grissom could make it to the road that day, there was still a chance.

Grissom, upon waking, knew something was wrong. Greg was already awake. He could tell it by the sound of his breathing. He was pulling in big, full breaths and wheezing them out again in a low, rapid cycle.

He came over and kneeled down next to him. Greg's eyes, barely open, looked right at him and he gave a small shake of his head.

"Can you sit up?"

"Not….without…help," Greg gasped out. Each word was spoken harshly because of the effort required.

Grissom took hold of his hands, startled to find that his fingers had taken on a blue hue, same as his lips. Gently, as gently as he could, he pulled him into a sitting position and helped him to settle against a nearby rock. It had been obviously painful. A hiss had passed from Greg's lips from the movement. He was helping as much as he could but was essentially dead weight.

Sitting, breathing was easier but Grissom was worried. Extremely worried. He noticed that Greg had stopped sweating. Knowing it wasn't because of any break in fever, Grissom could only assume he was going into shock. Greg's body was shutting down on itself.

"Do you think you can walk?"

Greg wanted to laugh. He could barely sit, couldn't even do that without help, and Grissom wanted to know if he could walk. His look must have said enough because Grissom was soon restating himself.

"With help Greg, do you think you cold walk with help?"

Greg started to shake his head 'no' before Grissom had even finished the question. His legs and arms were all pins and needles. His head felt like it was full of cotton. His chest was so constricted he didn't even know how he was managing to put anything in his lungs. Unless this 'help' Grissom spoke of had an engine, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, you're going to have to try."

Disbelief didn't even describe it. Greg tried to talk but couldn't do it. Couldn't even express his astonishment at the idea.

"Whenever you're ready," Grissom said evenly ignoring the look on Greg's face.

"Can't," Greg managed to croak.

"We can't stay here either," Grissom responded knowing exactly what he meant.

He knew he wasn't being fair, wasn't even being reasonable, but Greg had to get up. It was going to hurt like hell, but staying here was a death sentence. Moving was the only option and Grissom wasn't going without him.

"Go."

Grissom shook his head. He knew Greg would try it again. Would try and get him to leave, but it wasn't going to work.

"It'll be easier once you're moving, I promise."

Greg continued to stare at him. He could hardly believe it. Grissom was serious. Was completely serious about him getting on his feet and actually moving. To get his point across, Greg shook his head. He was in too much pain to go anywhere.

"Greg, we're not having this argument again. We're going together."

"Can't…argue," he stammered out in-between ragged breaths, "can't…speak."

Grissom nodded with a weak smile. This was going to be a hard sale.

"Just let me know when you're ready to try."

It was Greg's turn to nod and smile weakly, willing to try it once if just to prove to Grissom it couldn't be done.

"Okay."

Grissom got to his feet and took Greg's arms just above the elbows, gently pulling him forward. A sharp intake of air came from Greg's mouth as he got half way up and he nearly collapsed to the ground. The pain was excruciating. Grissom held firm, waited for Greg to continue the motion on his own and after a minute he did. Fully on his feet, exhausted from the effort, Greg couldn't stand without support.

Grissom handed him the walking stick, waited until he was firmly planted before moving away to grab the backpack.

"Ready?" he asked Greg who nodded weakly in return.

Getting to his feet had been bad but standing really wasn't. Still painful, still wretched, but not as bad as lying down had been. Greg still didn't think he could walk, but it was clear that Grissom wasn't going to just let him not try.

Grissom was back at his side, ready to go. Unsure how much help Greg would need, he offered up his arm, but wasn't too surprised to find it rejected. He'd always suspected Greg was an independent person, it showed in the way he dressed and talked, but he'd never known until this trip how fiercely he was so. Words like obstinate and pigheaded came to mind when he realized Greg wasn't going to take any additional help aside from occasionally putting a hand to his shoulder and leaning heavily on the walking stick.

Silently shaking his head at him, he waited for Greg to take the first step. Mustering up his strength he did. The progress was slow. Agonizingly so for both of them, but the motion, once begun, was easier to continue then Greg could have hoped for.

Knowing Greg couldn't speak, Grissom decided to do his part and provide some type of distraction. So, for the first time in as long time, Grissom talked really just to be talking. He started by telling Greg things he thought the man would find interesting. He talked some of his earlier cases, some of the different and unique ways he'd gone about collecting evidence, some of the more obscure types of evidence he'd found. Greg was grateful. Very grateful. He listened intently, knowing Grissom didn't often share with others, glad to have someone else's thoughts to fill his head.

They walked and rested in equal half hour stretches. Greg was no longer coughing. He couldn't anymore, whatever was stuck in his chest was holding tight now. Grissom's own coughs were more frequent now giving them both pause. Grissom knew now he was working his way towards the flu. If they did make it to that road tonight, make it out today, he might be okay. But another two or three days from now and he'd likely be as bad off as Greg.

Midway through the day it started to rain again. It was a drizzle, not much more then a mist, but it made the sky much darker and the walking much slower. It hadn't lasted long and dampened their spirits more then anything else.

Embankment after embankment they walked, well past the time they normally stopped. The sun had set but neither of them seemed willing to stop. They had wanted to reach actual road before stopping that day, felt the need too, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen.

The sky, having never really been bright that day, was now growing black. Reluctantly they set up camp, Grissom doing much of everything since Greg was physically unable. There was no use in even trying for a fire. While the rain hadn't been significant, it had been enough to wet anything usable for tinder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Greg.

He'd turned on the flashlight so they could at least see one another. If possible, Greg looked worse then he had that morning. He looked drawn and pale underneath his sunburn.

Instead of answering, he made the universal symbol for okay with his hand, feeling anything but. Greg hadn't thought it possible, but they'd gone far today. Maybe further then they had yesterday which didn't explain in his mind why they hadn't reached the five-fifteen.

They settled into an easy silence. Grissom had long run out of stories and Greg now sorely missed his notebook. If he'd had that, at least he could write something down. As it was the only thing they each had was their thoughts and a sudden noise broke into those.

"Copter," Greg managed by way of a question but Grissom just stood up and shook his head.

It was too close to be a helicopter and it sounded like it was getting closer.

By the time both of them recognized the noise, it was already zooming away.

Quick as possible, Grissom got Greg to his feet. He picked up the flashlight and disregarding Greg's independence, threw an arm around his torso and hurried him forward. A hundred yards away, on the other side of the embankment they'd stopped next to was the road they'd been looking for.

Grissom laughed. Greg nearly cried. Such relief, but short lived. The car they'd heard was almost out of sight by the time they'd made it.

They decided without words to keep walking. Not knowing which way Vegas lay, they turned towards the direction the car had gone. They were both optimistic now. Both feeling better about this until three more cars passed, each without so much as slowing down.

"Damn…serial…killers," Greg muttered between breaths as the last one pulled past.

Grissom laughed. Greg hadn't finished the thought, but he knew that the rest of his sentence ended something like 'ruined hitchhiking for everyone.' Greg stopped momentarily and smiled. He'd pulled back after their initial rush forward and was once more, only partially assisted, walking on his own again. Slowly walking that was. He was still in a good deal of pain, but walking helped him focus on something other then that.

Another hour spent walking, seemingly getting no where, and Grissom noticed that Greg wasn't moving as fast as he had been. He was still determinedly going forward, but it was costing him more and more.

"We can stop here for the night," Grissom offered, coming to a halt as he spoke.

Greg shook his head 'no'. He wanted to keep going. Felt he needed too. Now that he was walking on a real surface he thought it was possible. Mostly, he didn't want to sleep another night outdoors.

"You're exhausted and we both need to rest."

Greg shook his head once more and took a shaky step forward. He hadn't realized how much or how often he had been getting his strength off of leaning into Grissom occasionally until he tried to do it alone. Grissom wouldn't let him fall though and moved once more to his side.

"Greg, we'll just sit for awhile."

"No…let's…just…go."

His chest was really rattling now. Greg's voice wasn't only airy but thick. Grissom grew concerned that he would pass out but it hadn't happened. As they'd stopped a car approached.

At first, it had gone past them, barely slowing like the rest. But this one was different from the rest. The other cars had been passing them from behind. This one had come up from the side they were walking on, coming towards them. After it had whizzed past them it slowed soon after and flipped around stopped behind where they stood. After spending a week in the desert luck had finally caught up to them. It was a police car.

He got out of the car and walked over to them, shaking his head as he did it.

"You wouldn't happen to be Gil Grissom and Greg Sanders would you?"

"How…" Greg started but Grissom took it up for him.

"How did you know that?"

"I'll explain in the car," the officer said as he ushered them over to the car.

Greg sat in the back. Again, he would have thought it was cooler having never ridden in the back of a cop car before, but right now his mind was racing. Part of him thought that he must have passed out somewhere in the desert and this was just a massive hallucination. Another part of him thought he might be dreaming the whole thing.

Greg barely listened as Officer Brown explained to them the events of the last week but Grissom did. Of course there was a missing persons report filled on them. They'd been searching day and night since they'd gone missing having picked up and lost the trail several times. Officers were patrolling the interstates, county and state roads at regular intervals at all hours and directions in the search. The helicopter they'd seen twice was in fact part of the search operation. Officer Brown had only guessed it was them after seeing their jackets from his rear view mirror. Not a lot of people wandered around at night on the interstate, even fewer of them had 'FORENSICS' written on their backs.

"There are a lot of people going to be glad to see the two of you," Officer Brown continued as they raced down the interstate.

He'd been going as fast as possible, lights on, since picking them up. One look at Greg and he hadn't needed any thing further to convince him that time was of the essence.

By the time they'd pulled up to Desert Springs Hospital, there was already a nurse and resident waiting for them with a wheelchair. This time Greg didn't object to being helped out of the car or into their care. Grissom was accompanied inside as well but without any additional aid.

He turned and watched as they rushed Greg down a hall and out of sight. He was going to be okay, Grissom knew that, but it couldn't stop him from worrying. It was really sinking in now that it was over. That against the odds they'd come out not entirely unscathed, but alive.

Without realizing Grissom had turned to Greg to relate some bit of that thought to him only to realize Greg wasn't there anymore. They'd spent a week, a solid week, at each others side but no longer.

He'd of never thought it possible but he found that he just might miss Greg's company.


	11. At the Hospital

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**At the Hospital**

Once inside the hospital it all became a blur.

Greg watched almost passively as he was wheeled inside and then around. He didn't have the strength for anything more. He recalled someone helped him onto a bed, shut a curtain and even got him changed into a hospital gown, but he couldn't pick that person out of a line up if his life depended on it. It all just seemed to go so fast.

They checked him over, ran tests and confirmed that he did indeed have pneumonia. His biggest problem at the moment wasn't that however but dehydration. They started the IV, hooked him up to an oxygen tank and began pumping fluids and antibodies into him. After this they had time to assess his burns. His face wasn't nearly as bad as his neck which had second degree burns on it requiring attention. Once treated and bandaged, an experience he remembered all too vividly, they moved on to his leg. It showed no signs of infection and the only fear the doctor had was that Greg might have put too much strain on his other knee to counterbalance the injury.

It really had been a blur of motion and movement.

Greg knew he'd dozed on and off throughout but he hadn't really thought it had taken all that long. He hadn't thought that until, when finally in a room without a nurse and a dozen doctors hovering over him, he noticed the sun was rising.

"Good morning," a woman's voice called from the door.

Greg looked over still tired and feeling extremely groggy. He knew that somewhere during the course of the night they'd slipped him some type of pain medication. Greg didn't know what it was or how much they'd given him, but he was thankfully out of pain and feeling a little lightheaded even. If he hadn't been so tired he'd probably feel good.

He tried to mumble a greeting but didn't quite make it.

"I have your breakfast," she continued obviously not there for conversation, "Dr. Garrett wants you to try and eat something."

She sat the food down onto the tray beside his bed and wheeled it over. Greg would have thought that food would look more appeasing to him after having only eaten maybe one whole Snickers bar in the course of a week, but it didn't. His stomach was rumbling but not from hunger. The site of it almost made him sick. The nurse, sensing this, covered it back up and offered up the juice instead.

"When you're ready," she said putting it down beside him.

He smiled at her and picked it up. Juice actually did sound good. His mouth and throat were dry.

"You've got visitors. I can ask them to stop by later if you'd rather sleep."

Finishing off the glass he put it down and cleared his throat. It still felt dry, raw even.

"Who?" he asked unevenly.

"I think they work with you," she said straightening the room as she spoke, "They've been here most of the night."

Greg didn't hesitate giving his answer. He felt exhausted, like he could barely keep his eyes open at this point, but he wanted to see them. Was touched that they'd waited so long. He couldn't say no.

"Alright," she said smiling warmly, "but they can't stay long. You need to rest."

Greg nodded and sat up as best he could.

"Wait, nurse?" he called out before she could get to the door.

His voice was stronger now then before, especially since his breathing had been regularized. Stronger but still raspy. He hardly recognized it as his own.

"What about the man that came in with me?" he asked growing concerned. It had all been such a haze of confusion, he hadn't realized until now he knew absolutely nothing about where Grissom was or how he was doing. "Did they admit him too?"

"He's being released this morning, in a few hours."

Greg said nothing to that. It was good news but didn't quite make him as happy as he thought it would.

"And so you know, my name is Maria."

She winked at him as she left and Greg was only alone for a few minutes before the door creaked open again. If it wasn't who he'd been expecting the surprise didn't reach his face.

"It must be really slow at the lab if you two have been here all night," Greg said grinning as first Jacqui then Bobby came into his room.

"You're joking right?" Jacqui asked coming over and immediately taking the closest seat to him, "You've been missing for a week Greg. We've been worried sick. You don't actually think anyone got any work done, do you?"

Biting his lip, unsure how to take such honest sentiment, Greg looked down and then away.

"Yeah, how could we?" Bobby asked with a smile, trying to offer him an easy out, "It was too quiet. I mean, I know you've abandoned us and all to go do less important things but man you do liven up the place. It was weird not having you come bounding down the hall, I guess you'd call that singing, or stopping by to let us in on the latest jokes."

Greg cleared his throat, still not looking at either of them. This was harder then he thought it would be.

"Wow, he's speechless," Jacqui said before leaning over to him and catching him up in a hug. "Didn't think that was possible."

"Just give me a minute," Greg said sounding a little more like himself. "I'm adjusting my thoughts."

As Bobby laughed and Jacqui kissed him quickly on the temple, Archie swung the door open.

"Man Sanders, did you forget your sunscreen?"

"Well I didn't exactly plan on spending a week out there Arch," Greg returned quickly enough to put the others at ease. They'd begun to think they'd come too soon.

"I bet that desk job looks pretty good about now, doesn't it?" he asked with a smile.

"Are you kidding?" Greg returned, now smiling himself, "I'm charging every minute of that trip. The way I see it I've got at least a hundred and twenty hours of over time owed me."

The rest of their visit was much of the same. The tone stayed much lighter and Greg really enjoyed the company. Archie had brought him his own MP3 player complete with music Greg liked for his use during his stay. Bobby had let him know about which cases were hot and how Greg's own had been handled in his absence. Jacqui, the quietest of the three, mostly smiled and said little. She was having the hardest time of them. Despite being a relatively private person who got on well with her co-workers, she wasn't particularly close to any of them excepting Greg due entirely to his persistent nature.

They left after an hour. The drugs in his system were taking over and he'd grown quieter and quieter until they felt there was nothing left to do but let him sleep.

It didn't take long for that to happen.

Greg slept most of the day, waking on and off throughout. He recalled Ecklie stopping by once but not a word he'd said. Sophia had been there too, but again it was a blank. The biggest surprise to Greg had been Hodges stopping by. They had never even been civil to each other but there he was. He didn't stay long, didn't say much and seemed more surprised then Greg was that he was even there.

Drifting off again the next time he woke it was late in the afternoon. It took more then a minute to adjust his eyes and several more for him to realize he wasn't alone.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, eyes barely open and his head hardly clear.

"Returning your things," Nick answered with a smirk. "It's a wonder we didn't find you sooner. You must have dropped half of what you were carrying."

"What? You mean my case?"

Greg was still not fully awake so understanding Nick wasn't easy.

"No man, although we picked that up yesterday. Only Grissom could find a crime scene in the middle of the desert."

Greg nodded, rubbing his eyes as he did so. Sitting up still required some effort, but he managed okay. Nick was ready to help him but unlike Grissom, at least Grissom before the trip, he had a feeling that Greg would want to try it first on his own.

Finding the switch that raised and lowered the bed, Greg moved it himself into a better position. More alert now, he cast an appraising eye at Nick who had come closer.

"Nick, man, you look bad."

Nick sucked in his bottom lip and looked up in disbelief with a shake of his head. Greg was in a hospital bed, hooked up to five different machines and actually lecturing him about how he looked. Unbelievable of anyone other then Greg Sanders.

"Seriously," Greg continued, "are you sure that I'm the one supposed to be here, not you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Well you've looked better yourself."

"I'm just saying…"

"I know what your saying," Nick cut him off, not able to even really sound mad at this point, "Just know that while you were off sight seeing with the boss, someone was back here not only looking for you but covering your cases as well. And Sanders, you take horrible notes. Who taught you that?"

"I think it was you actually."

"Well you must not have been paying attention."

"It's called shorthand Nick, very useful."

"So is English."

Greg laughed and let it go. Nick really did look like he hadn't slept in a week but he also looked like he was truly glad to see him. That meant a lot to him.

"Hey," a voice said from the door, "you're awake. We were starting to think you might just sleep all day."

"I could," Greg admitted to Catherine as she came over to him and kissed him once on the cheek. "Although, if I'd known you do that I'd have gotten up sooner."

"How are you feeling?" Catherine asked still concerned despite everything the doctors had assured them of.

"Better," Greg answered with a nod, "I can breathe again but whatever meds they're giving me are making it hard to focus."

"How can you tell the difference?" Nick asked.

"He's on a roll, isn't he?" Greg directed at Catherine who laughed. "But really, I'm fine. Any idea when I can go? The nurse said they've already turned Grissom loose."

"I think they said they want to keep you at least a few nights just to be sure."

Greg nodded but said nothing to it. Again that sinking feeling of disappointment he couldn't place returning. Catherine's phone rang and after a quick goodbye and a promise to return, she stepped out.

"So do you want your stuff back or what?" Nick asked him after a pause.

"What stuff?" Greg asked in return, he really had no idea what Nick was going on about.

"Well your wallet for starters," Nick answered producing it from his jacket pocket.

"I thought I lost this in the creek," Greg said sounding awed.

"You must have. Someone picked it up in one of the run offs in town about four days ago and turned it in. Thing made it all the past Tropicana. We followed the run off out of the city and up to where you and Griss set up camp, but by the time we'd gotten there you two were gone. Griss said you saw the helicopters."

"We did," Greg said sounding excited about it as he flipped through his wallet, "We couldn't tell where you were. We didn't think you'd find our path."

"Well all the rain didn't help us any. We'd followed where we thought you'd been up until it started. Once we found your wallet, traced the run off up to that creek, we only knew it was where you'd been because of your phone."

"You found my phone too?" Greg asked and as he did Nick handed that off as well.

"Next to the embankment. At first, well, we thought you might have… Grissom told us what happened this morning."

Greg nodded, looking that over now too. He wasn't too eager to talk about the dunk he'd taken.

"Did you get the name of the person who turned in the wallet?" he asked.

"Brass might have it, why? Want to thank them?"

"No actually, they took fifty bucks."

"I think you'd have a hard time proving that."

Greg shrugged and was on the point of asking more questions about how the search had gone with the door opened back up again revealing Sara and Warrick.

"Cath said you were up," Warrick said grinning at him, "Glad to have you back."

"Glad to be back," Greg returned shaking hands with the man as he did so.

Sara smiled tightly and said nothing, just hung back a bit as the guys talked. It wasn't long before Warrick was reminding Nick that their shift started soon and they both said their goodbyes.

Alone now with just Sara, he didn't know what to say. Fortunately, she spoke first.

"Did Nick tell you we found your things?" she asked, coming closer finally.

"Yeah, I'm just glad I don't have to cancel my credit cards. Although I'm seriously doubting my phone will ever work again."

Sara managed a small smile.

"Found this too," she said holding out something to him in her left hand.

Greg took it, disbelief etched on his face.

"How…"

"It wasn't hard. It was just sitting open on top of a cliff. We thought you and Grissom must have stopped there for the night."

Greg flipped through it. It was stained with water spots and several pages were unreadable, but enough of it was intact for him. More then enough.

"I didn't think I'd see this again," he said quietly.

He had an odd smile on his face that made Sara feel both happy and sad. Greg looked up at her and his expression changed almost immediately.

"You didn't read this did you?"

"It was part of an investigation," she answered with as straight of a face as she could manage.

Greg just stared at her trying to read whether or not she was telling the truth.

"Greg," she finally said breaking the silence, "I didn't read it."

He was all relief until she spoke again.

"Well, I didn't read much of it."

"Sara."

"I'm sorry," she said with a laugh, "I was halfway through it before I knew what it was."

"That's such a lie. Sara, you knew I kept it. You've seen it before. If you wanted to read it you just had to ask."

"Asking you wasn't exactly an option at the time."

Greg shook his head and, even though he was smiling, turned to look away.

"I'm sorry, I am. I shouldn't have done it," Sara said, serious now.

"It's no big deal."

"No it is," she countered, "How can I make it up to you?"

Greg's face broke into a wicked grin.

"I'm not that sorry Greg."

"Okay, okay," he said unable to stop the smile on his face. "I wouldn't ask that anyway."

"Well what would you ask?"

"Well," he echoed, "you can help me out with something."

She didn't object, waiting to see where this was going.

"I wasn't exactly honest in this," he said holding up his notebook for emphasis. "Not entirely."

"And how can I help you with that?" she asked, sitting down beside him now.

"Well, you've read it right?"

Sara nodded. She knew where this was headed but wasn't willing to let him off the hook so easily.

"So," he said drawing out the word, "one of the things I wanted to do was to kiss you."

"But you've never kissed me."

"No I haven't."

"And you crossed it off?" she asked, knowing he had.

"I did."

"Why?"

"Why?" he asked back, slightly confused, "Well, because you kissed me."

Sara laughed and shook her head.

"How long did you go without water out there Greg? I've never kissed you."

"Yes you did," he argued.

"Greg…"

"You did," he said more forcefully now.

"When?"

"Two years ago," he stated, "New Year's Eve."

Sara shook her head and he sighed.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy Sara, it happened."

She continued to stare at him. The smile was beginning to wear off his face. At first he thought she was pulling his leg, but now. Now he couldn't tell. She really seemed to have no idea what he was talking about.

"Forget it," he said dismissively.

Greg looked away from her. He was a little more hurt then he'd care to admit and didn't want her to know it. The vibe in the room had gone from free and easy to awkward in seconds.

"You were on the roof," she began, "I remember because I looked for you for half an hour. I'd been mad because you weren't working like you were supposed to be. Really mad until I saw you there. We started to talk. I think that might have been our first real conversation ever. You said something about it being such a bad year…"

"That I was happy it was over," he finished.

"Yeah, that. You said that. I think we were both happy it was over."

Greg smiled again, looking at her.

"I thought you forgot."

She shook her head with a smile of her own.

"It's late," she commented without moving from where she was, "You need to get some sleep. Visiting hours are almost up."

Greg nodded his agreement and she finally stood.

"I'll stop by tomorrow," Sara said, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead.

As she moved away from him, before she could get far, Greg gently tugged on her arm and pulled her back towards him. It was a quick kiss, a second past being chaste, but it was entirely his doing. Almost.

The look on her face when she moved away would forever be burned into his brain. It was something like surprise.

"So it wouldn't be a lie," he supplied with a grin.

For a moment he thought he was going to get slapped but then Sara's face broke into a grin of her own.

"Goodnight Greg," she said as she turned to go.

"Goodnight Sara."

Greg watched her go, a familiar flutter in his stomach. He didn't dwell on it long. He was too tired to do that. Other thoughts soon filled his head. Thoughts that started and ended with all the people he'd seen today and the one he hadn't.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter is obviously longer then most. Because of that, and on the advice of RivenSky (thanks!) I'm separating this chapter into two parts. And no, the second part isn't written yet. Sorry. It should be up soon and will be the last chapter. So, as I've said before but this time I mean it, there is only one more chapter after this. Thanks for reading. 


	12. Endings

**The Body by SLynn**

**Disclaimer: **The idea is mine; I stole the title from Stephen King and the characters from CSI. Go ahead, sue me.

**Thanks and such at the bottom!**

**Endings**

Grissom knew he should have stopped by sooner he just hadn't had a chance too. At first, there was too much to be done. He'd been forced into a night at the hospital, very much against his will, had massive amounts of paperwork to file and a new crime scene to process. This on top of his current cases as well as the new ones that had occurred during his absence had kept him away longer then he'd wanted. Three days later he'd finally shown up. Greg was being released the next day and now he felt extremely guilty for having waited so long.

Standing outside the door he didn't know what was keeping him from going inside.

"He's awake," a nurse said, seeing him standing there.

Grissom looked at her and she stared back amused.

"You can go in," she continued.

Grissom nodded and opened the door.

Greg, sitting up in bed with headphones on and flipping through a book, didn't look over. Grissom knew why, he hadn't heard him. How could he? The volume was up so loud Grissom could hear what was playing from where he stood. Not that he recognized it.

As he neared the bed Greg just caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned towards him. His expression was something between surprise and remonstration. It was as if Greg had wanted to see him until he'd actually shown up.

The look didn't stay on his face long. Grissom hadn't known before just how well Greg could hide things like that.

"Griss," he said taking off his headset, "what brings you by?"

His voice sounded awful, worse then it had in the desert. It was raw and scratchy like he hadn't had a drink of water in ages.

"I heard you were getting out tomorrow."

It wasn't much of an explanation. Actually, it wasn't an explanation, but it was all he had.

Greg nodded either in understanding or indifference.

"You heard wrong," he finally said, "The doc just told me I had to stay a few extra nights."

"Did they say why?" Grissom asked.

"They took a few more x-rays and didn't like what they saw. Something about not being too happy with how it was clearing. I tried to tell them I wasn't too happy being here, but what do I know. It's nothing really."

Grissom nodded and grew worried. He'd expected Greg to be acting more like his old self by now but he still seemed almost depressed. Maybe that's what had kept him away so long, he'd been waiting for the Greg he knew to be back. Apparently he hadn't waited long enough.

"So," Greg said trying to turn the topic, "What'd you bring?"

"Soup," Grissom answered digging the plain white container out of the matching white bag he'd brought in with him.

"Soup?"

"Yes, egg drop right?"

"For me?"

"Greg don't look so shocked."

"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to remember that. I mean, you didn't even…"

Greg stopped talking abruptly and said no more, taking what was offered with a small smile.

"Thanks," he said after a pause. "The food here sucks."

Grissom acknowledged it with a slight incline of his head, but nothing further.

"Nick brought me a pack of Snickers bars, can you believe that? The man just isn't right."

Grissom laughed and admitted he might have mentioned Greg's new aversion to that specific candy. Greg shrugged it off with a laugh of his own.

"How's your dog?" Grissom asked after Greg had gotten through more then half of the dish.

"Good," he answered, putting it down now, "Sara and Nick have been taking turns feeding her and stopping by my place. Checking the mail, that sort of thing."

Grissom nodded and had no idea what to say next.

"How's work?" Greg asked relieving him of the obligation. "Sara said you and Sophia have been out to our house huh?"

"Yes, today we did. There isn't much to go on."

"Unsolvable?"

"Nothing's unsolvable Greg. It's just a matter of finding all the pieces."

Greg nodded now but looked uneasily about the room. He didn't seem to want to talk about work even though he'd brought the subject up.

"I called your mother; did she get in touch with you?" Grissom asked and Greg finally looked his way again.

"Yeah, she did. Thanks. You didn't have too. She called me yesterday. I got to talk to her and Katie. She cried, a lot."

"She's your mother Greg, that's what they do."

"Not my mother," he returned as if Grissom should have known, "My sister. Katie was pretty worked up. She'd been pretty worried; I guess Catherine had called when we got lost. She may even come visit me this summer."

"So I guess you'll need some vacation time?"

"If she gets too. She was supposed to come last summer but Henry wouldn't let her. He really hates me, doesn't like his daughters to associate with me unless they have too."

Grissom didn't know what to say to that and decided this wasn't the best avenue of discussion they could go down. Apparently, so did Greg.

"You see any good movies?"

Grissom smiled at him but shook his head. A definite 'no'.

"No time too I guess," Greg answered for him, "All I seem to have is time. Feels like I've been here forever."

"It's only a few more days."

"I guess."

"What's really bothering you Greg?"

"I don't know," he answered but it didn't ring true.

Grissom didn't say anything in return, just waited.

"I guess," Greg began again, "well, you're not in the hospital. Everyone is working double shifts to catch up and I'm just sitting here."

"You're sick."

"I know, it's just, it's always something."

"Greg, it's not your fault."

"You're not sick."

"Well I didn't start off sick," Grissom said sounding almost angry, "Sara told me you've been fighting off the flu for weeks now. You should have taken a few days off sooner."

"I know," Greg said looking down, embarrassed.

"You can't do your job if you're not operating at one hundred percent."

"So I've heard."

Grissom stopped and realized he needed to change his tone. Change his tactics even. He imagined Sara must have told him the same thing, several times over. He hadn't come here to berate him.

"You can't be afraid to ask for help."

Greg looked up at him sharply.

"I'm not, I just…. I don't know. I'm always asking for help. Half the time I feel like I don't know what the hell I'm doing. And when I do think I have it down I find out I'm doing it wrong. And now, now I'm just completely useless."

"You're not useless."

"Well I can't exactly wheel my oxygen tank into the lab with me."

Grissom smiled at his humor.

"Greg, we all make mistakes. You're still new to this. It's expected."

"See, that's it. I'm not use to that. You can't afford to make mistakes in the lab and I guess I still have that mindset."

"I'm not giving you a license to screw up…"

"Oh, I know it. I just meant that it's different. In the field, if I mess something up Sara or you comes along and corrects me before it gets out of hand. If I'd done the same thing in the lab, well, we'd be renovating a lot more."

"I probably don't tell you enough but you are doing a good job."

"I told you Griss," Greg said with a shrug, "I don't need praise. Just, on occasion, to hear that I'm not a complete idiot would be nice."

"I think I can handle that."

Greg nodded, feeling a little better.

"So, have you added anything new to your list?"

"Heard I got it back huh?"

Grissom nodded.

"Not yet. I've been thinking about what I want to do next and haven't come up with much."

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"I'll probably just end up putting down skydiving."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not? I might even go on my birthday. I am going to turn thirty, might as well go all out."

"You say that like it's a death sentence."

Greg shrugged and Grissom realized he probably thought it was.

"Sir," a voice interrupted them both from the doorway, "Sorry but visiting hours are over. You're going to have to come back tomorrow."

Grissom thanked the woman and stood to go.

"You don't have to come back," Greg offered, "I know you're busy. I'll be out soon enough, back at work and driving you crazy."

"I'll see you tomorrow Greg."

Greg smiled and said nothing more, just watched him go.

As Grissom had expected Greg's 'nothing' turned out to be more serious then he let on. A few more nights turned into a full week. Grissom now stopped by nightly, before shift started, late enough where he knew no one else would be around. It was funny that way, but he knew if he'd gone with anyone else or at any other time that Greg wouldn't talk to him the same way he'd gotten use too.

After he was released Greg still had another week of at home recovery time, doctor's orders. It was a long week for him. Greg was bored. Twice, towards the end of his mandatory leave, he tried sneaking into the lab to just to be doing something, only to be rushed out again.

His first day back, Grissom had expected him to stop by his office. He knew Greg had come in early, had seen him several times talking with Jacqui and Archie in their respective labs. Greg seemed to have taken the time to personally greet everyone who had visited him while he was sick. He'd heard that Greg even managed a polite word to Hodges, but still he hadn't stopped by to see him. Grissom now assumed this was how it was to be. He was alright with that, hadn't expected Greg to suddenly grow easy around him despite the circumstances, but was sorry for the change.

It wasn't until he actually opened up his desk, looking for a pen, did he find that that wasn't exactly true. Someone and he had a good idea as to who, had filled it full of bite-size Snickers bars. Grissom smiled and knew that this was just Greg's version of a thank you card.

The staff meeting they held before shift was pretty typical. On the way in the door Grissom had tossed one of the candies at Sara who caught it with a bemused look on her face. Greg had to fight down a laugh, but otherwise the whole thing had gone unmentioned. All of it. Grissom didn't have to say it, but it was nice having them all together again.

"That's everything," Grissom said, effectively wrapping the session.

They all stood to go, there was plenty to do. They'd come a long way to catching up but were still behind enough that Nick and Warrick, who were with them tonight, had volunteered a few extra hours to help clear the back log. Before anyone could make it out of the room Grissom spoke again.

"Oh and Greg?" he said in a tone everyone was use too. It was the one he used when he was being deadly serious and it was enough to stop not only Greg, but everyone else as well.

He turned and looked back, not sure what was about to be said. Fearing that maybe filling the boss's desk with chocolate wasn't such a good idea even if you were on better terms with him then you'd ever been before. Maybe he'd crossed the line on this one. Grissom looked mad even. Momentarily that is.

"You're not a complete idiot."

Greg's face broke into a huge grin. Laughing at Grissom's dead pan delivery, accent on the 'complete'.

"You're not so bad yourself," he returned.

Greg didn't say anymore, just turned to go. Sara remained behind momentarily giving Grissom a questioning look before heading out after Greg.

"What was that all about?" she asked catching him halfway down the hall.

Greg turned to her, still smiling and shook his head.

"You had to be there."

**The End

* * *

**

**A/N:** Thank goodness it is done! I am going to start a flip side to this story, just not right away. It's going to primarily be a Nick and Sara POV and I'm toying with the idea of keeping the same number of chapters and same chapter headings. It is tentatively titled 'The Search' but I can't even guess as to when I'll have it out.

As I always say and mean sincerely, thanks to everyone who has read this. I know it hasn't been updated as frequently as even I would like (the last few chapters especially) but I appreciate your patience and hope you felt it was worth it. If you read it and reviewed it, thank you once again! I enjoy the feedback it's what really makes this worth doing.

**Thanks to:  
**

**life sucks, get used to it** – the plot thickens… you know I'm not sure I know either. Maybe it's a soup reference? For awhile I thought I was getting a bit Jack Handy on everyone. :)

**Emmithar** – pneumonia is awful. I've only had it once and that was enough. I like how your story is going too! I've almost gotten to the point where I need flow charts for mine as well, but I always have a 'working' doc where I put the ideas down Yes, I've titled a story (as mentioned above) from their POV. Yeah, if I didn't end this story now it would go on and on and on… you get the point.

**BeyondMyStar** – I had to make Griss sick. It's just not possible to be out in those conditions and not feel bad. It was also a good excuse to cloud some of his judgment. I kept the name Brown for personal reasons. I knew Warrick already had it, but I couldn't help myself. :) Yeah, my ship shows pretty quickly nowadays! The companion piece will get into more what Nick and Sara went through during this time. Sorry the wait was long…

**Storyspindler** – yeah, I'm not too subtle with the foreshadowing am I? LOL, first the walking stick then the hints about Griss. :) I hadn't always intended for Greg to get his notebook back, but couldn't help myself at the end. What a compliment! I can barely go back and read my own chapters after they are posted… thank you! Yeah, Greg wouldn't be very eager to get to that scene… no sequels yet, just a flip-side piece.

**Strata** – I love suspense and I love to leave chapters hanging like that, sorry. Everyone really liked that line which surprises me because it was added as an afterthought. Glad it worked! that line was my favorite (ch 10).

**Fwe** – I had to add the part about the gossip. I can't imagine any work place without it! Oh, and I've recently discovered it's called egg flour soup as well. I kept the body kind of ambiguous but without intending too. I'm not sure if there will be more too it yet. this one is it, I promise!

**Tripp3235** – hee hee, you know actually the brunette who was going to find it was going to be Nick. After your review I changed my mind. I think I was the most relieved to have them found! It's been more draining on me to keep them lost! I had to throw Hodges in there, I'm still very happy he's becoming a regular on the series! And yeah, I messed up and forgot the dog! Oops.

**white rose01** – very good incentive. I've almost given up a dozen times this week in ever getting this one done! Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry the ending was so drawn out! I couldn't let him live a lie now could I:)

tabbi – I'm so glad everyone liked this, at least everyone who reviewed did. :) It was tough just having two characters to bounce off each other.

**peaceful river** – so, I'm revising my 'killing off' statement to say that I'd never kill of Greg. Everyone else is fair play. (insert evil laughter here).

**Duckie** – wouldn't that be horrible? Hey, stuck in the desert for a week. We've got no food, what's that behind your back? Oh crap, guess we're dead after all. :) I'm evil but not that evil. I couldn't help myself! I'm such a Greg/Sara shipper it's becoming sad.

**carolann** – I assumed after a week spent by each other's side, separation might not be easy.

**werewolfe** – my favorite too.

**raccoony** – hey, if I can get one person to cry a day I'll consider my work here done! thanks again!

**Teenwitch** – I thought the bonding would be easier, but it did turn out pretty hard. They're very different characters and it wasn't easy getting them to talk. I'm glad you found it convincing.

**Amy** – I'm glad you liked it. Friendship pieces aren't easy I've found. :)

**lins** – Aside from the companion piece, I'm not sure if I'll continue this any further as it's own series. The notebook was originally to be lost for good but I couldn't go through with it. And yes, I'm an admitted Greg/Sara shipper so I had to throw that in there.

**Sillie** – I'm relieved too! Glad you're liking it! Originally that was the last chapter and Grissom was going to be the last visitor, but it just got so long he had to wait.

**dee** – Everyone's so happy! I've got to learn to draw out the angst (kidding!)

**Jackie** – Thanks! Happy you've had fun reading!

**LuvinNickyStokes** – I love your id!

**ScribbleDream** – hee hee, hot indeed!

**NothingGein** – thank you! I'm working on the fourth piece to take place after 'Privacy' and it's tentatively titled 'Precious Things'. It should be the next new story I post here.

**GypsySmiles** – so cool, I love hearing that!

**Roz** – I think most people were more relieved about the notebook then about them actually making their way out! Me included!

Once more thanks to all! Hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it!


End file.
